NiklasZennstrom Success Story

Born in a small town north of Stockholm, Zennstrom had an interest in computers and telecommunications right from a young age. After finishing his college and earning a B.Sc. degree, the final year of which he completed in the USA, Zennstrom began working with Tele2, a telecom company that was based in Europe. He was responsible for product promotions and other important business developments.

Career

After getting bored of his job, the effervescent Zennstrom then decided to start his own company. With the help of his friend Janus Friis, he started Kazaa, which was a revolutionary peer-to-peer sharing application.

Kazaa was back in 2003 the world’s most downloaded software and shot Zennstrom into a stratosphere of riches. He was the CEO of the company until complains from music and the motion picture syndicates started pouring in, due to which he sold the company to Sharman Networks.

After another start-up, Joltid, Zennstrom went on to find Skype, another peer-to-peer internet software that allowed clients to video chat with anyone via the app. The application was a massive success and stands as one of the most famous internet inventions. Skype was sold to eBay for about $3 billion dollars with further bonuses and Zennstrom was the CEO until 2007.

Return to Skype

In 2009, Zennstrom invested back in Skype and came back on board. He is however presently more involved in his other company, Atomico from London. The company invests in potential tech companies and aids them to grow their businesses with Atomico’s investment.

Some of the most famous companies to have benefitted from Atomico’s investment have been Skype, Last FM, Rovio, Fab and Klarna to name a few. There are over 50 other companies under their wing.

Microsoft stepped in on 10^th May 2011 and purchased Skype for $8.5 Billion, making it the biggest cash deal. It was also reported that Zennstrom would make close to $1 Billion from the sale.

Niklas Zennstrom At LMU Muenchen