One was a university student, the other had immediate access to Google's founders at the highest level. This isn't a fair comparison.
Close family member of Rich And Successful CEO founds successful company is not an interesting story. In fact it is how most people assume it works, if you come from a rich family of course your company is a success. 'Poor' kid pulls themselves up by their own bootstraps and builds company with nothing but grit and brilliance, now that is a story you can sell. Especially if it's a company doing something the 'experts' said couldn't be done.
Undoubtedly Holmes was also good at marketing. That alone is a skill, one that alone admittedly doesn’t make a viable product, but that’s the real explanation for her success.
Who's Holmes? GP has probably been spending too much time on the grey web.