起家 is a verb-object compound (离合词) meaning 'to build up a fortune, reputation, or career from scratch'. It is often used in the idiom 白手起家 (báishǒu qǐjiā, 'to start from nothing'). As a separable verb, you can insert elements between 起 and 家, such as 了 (perfective) or a measure word: 起了家, 起过家. You cannot place a direct object after 起家; instead, use 靠 + noun/verb to indicate the means.