Alexander Samwer
Alexander Samwer (born 1975, in Cologne[1]) is a German entrepreneur who founded Alando and Jamba!.[2]
Career
With his brothers Marc and Oliver he co-founded Alando, which was sold to eBay in 1999 for $50 million,[3] then Jamba! which was sold to VeriSign for $270 million in 2004.[4]
With his brothers he founded the venture capital company European Founders Fund[2][5] with which they invested in Lokalisten, StudiVZ (German-counterpart to Facebook), MyVideo (German-counterpart to YouTube), Bigpoint Games, Anshe Chung Studios and several other companies. They also founded the startup studio Rocket Internet. They invested in Facebook in 2008, after selling StudiVZ to the Holtzbrinck Group.[6]
In 2013 Samwer brothers founded EURO 150 Mio. Global Founders Capital fund for early stage startups worldwide. Hamburger technology startup Kreditech became their first investment.
Education
He studied politics at the University of Oxford (from 1995), receiving an MA, and then received an MBA from Harvard Business School.[2]
Personal life
His parents are both in the legal profession.[1]
References
- 1 2 "Young German start-ups". Jetzt. 12 December 2005. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- 1 2 3 "Alexander's bio". European Founders. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ↑ "EBay kauft Berliner Web-Auktionshaus Alando". Heise (in German). 21 June 1999. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ↑ "Samwer Brothers Acquire Stake in Facebook". Spiegel. 15 January 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ↑ Crampton, Thomas (4 December 2006). "German brothers break the moldEntrepreneurs cash in after learning fast in Silicon Valley". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ↑ Stöcker, Christian (16 January 2008). "SPIEGEL Interview with Investor Alexander Samwer - 'Facebook Is Already Light Years Ahead'". Spiegel. Retrieved 30 January 2010.