Saul Klein
| Saul Klein | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🎓 Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| 💼 Occupation | Founding Partner at LocalGlobe |
| 👪 Relatives | Robin Klein (father), Jonathan Klein (uncle), co-founder and CEO of Getty Images;.[1], Martin Klein (uncle) |
Saul Klein OBE (born 23 October 1970)[2] is a British entrepreneur and an active investor in the UK's tech scene.[3] [4]He has co-founded numerous ventures, including LOVEFiLM, Seedcamp, Kano Computing and Platoon.[5] A General Partner at Index Ventures from 2007 until 2015,[6] he left in 2015 to co-found venture capital fund LocalGlobe with his father Robin Klein (venture capitalist). He has served in several government advisory roles and in April 2023 he was appointed as Non-executive Director at the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation and technology.[7][8][9]
Career
Klein's early career included stints at Ogilvy & Mather, Firefly and Microsoft in the USA.[10]
Returning to the UK, in 2002 Saul Klein and his father helped co-found Video Island, where Saul was CEO until 2005. Video Island was one of a number of rival businesses that merged into what became LOVEFiLM International, ultimately being acquired by Amazon in 2011.[11]
After LOVEFiLM, Saul Klein went to Last.FM and then Skype, both businesses backed by Index Ventures, before joining Index as a partner in 2006. He co-founded Seedcamp a year later, in 2007.[12]
In April 2015, Saul and his father Robin founded LocalGlobe, a Venture Capital Firm focusing on early stage (Seed) investment in Technology enabled businesses. They raised LocalGlobe 7, a fund of £45m by October 2015 and LocalGlobe 8, a £70m fund in March 2017. As the firm has grown, in 2022 it took the PhoenixCourt umbrella, expanding to £500M.[13][14][15][16]
Government advisor
Klein's government advisory roles began in 2012 as the UK's Technology Business Ambassador to Israel, alongside Matthew Gould. He is a member of the UK's Council for Science and Technology (CST) as well as the UK Government's Digital Economy Council, and in April 2023 he was appointed as Non-executive Director at the UK government's Department for Science, Innovation and technology.[17] He has also been an advisor on digital and innovation in local government in London and Manchester.[18]
Honours
Klein was awarded an OBE for services to business by David Cameron's government in 2016.[19]
References
- ↑ "Getty Images bought by private equity firm Carlyle Group for £2.1bn". The Jewish Chronicle Online. 15 August 2012.
- ↑ "PHOENIX COURT GROUP LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
- ↑ "The 100 most influential technology investors in Europe". 3 March 2011.
- ↑ "Forbes".
- ↑ "Apple Acquired Platoon, a London-Based Creative Services firm in 2016, and this week they filed for its Unique Figurative Trademark".
- ↑ "Index Ventures creates seed fund with Kleins at the helm". TechCrunch. 25 April 2010.
- ↑ Saul Klein OBE biography https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein
- ↑ "Saul Klein". Forbes.
- ↑ "Bloomberg". Bloomberg.
- ↑ "Skype names ex-Microsoft executive marketing chief". 8 September 2005.
- ↑ Amazon takes full control of LOVEFiLM https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jan/20/amazon-buys-lovefilm
- ↑ Boland, Hannah (25 February 2019). "Lovefilm founder Saul Klein: 'Being an entrepreneur is more a state of mind'". The Telegraph.
- ↑ LocalGlobe becomes PhoenixCourt https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/20/localglobe-becomes-phoenix-court-group-hits-500m-first-close-for-new-funds-adds-an-impact-twist/
- ↑ "We talked to the father-and-son VC team who are launching a new fund to back European tech startups". Business Insider.
- ↑ James Cousins (2022-06-22). "LocalGlobe becomes the Phoenix Court Group, with $500M to create a values-based New Palo Alto". TFN.
- ↑ "Tech guru raises $500m to invest in Camden, the 'New Palo Alto'". Evening Standard. 2022-06-21.
- ↑ Saul Klein OBE biography https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein
- ↑ "Speaker: Saul Klein". London Tech Week 2026.
- ↑ 14 tech entrepreneurs recognised in the Queen's honours list https://www.cityam.com/sit-down-sir-rod-here-are-14-tech-entrepreneurs-recognised-in-the-queens-honours-list/
External links
- LocalGlobe - Team - about Saul Klein [1]
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