Ask HN: Tech Start-up for people with families?

Are there instances of people who have families to feed and have successfully started Tech start-ups in US? This is especially important in US because the cost of living is high. What is the thought process of the people who make the decisions that involve huge financial risks, not only for them, but more so for their kids and spouse.

If there are any success stories then they would be immensely inspirational to a lot of people out there.

Thoughts?