Dubbed the "French Bill Gates," Mars made his fortune creating and selling start-ups to the likes of multinationals Publicis and Blackberry.
Today, Mars is the founder and CEO of global charity Epic Foundation. The charity brings leading investors and corporations together with selected youth and children's charities.
Talking to CNBC in an episode of Life Hacks Live, Mars said that although big-name billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are pledging their fortunes to charity, no amount is too small.
"We [at Epic] want to make giving the norm because we don't want just the Gates and the Zuckerbergs of the world doing all the work," said Mars.
"Don't think that you have to become Gates to start this. Don't think that if you are not working at the UN, you cannot be someone who will have an impact on the world. It's easy."
The philanthropist said that the amount you give to charity must depend on what you can afford to give. "Try to define your level of pain regarding giving — when you're 27, it's different than when you're 35," Mars said. "If it starts hurting you, it's no longer joyful. Giving has to bring you joy, nothing else."
Mars founded Epic Foundation in 2014, but his philanthropic passions started much earlier.
"My mom was always helping people, so I grew up within that kind of spirit, and that's why very quickly I said to myself, 'How can I help other people?'" he said.
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