Niklas Zennström
Born 1966 · Age 59
Swedish entrepreneur and technology investor; co-founder of Kazaa, Skype, Joost, Atomico and Zennström Philanthropies. Known for pioneering peer-to-peer and VoIP services and for later venture investing through Atomico.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Järfälla, Sweden
Niklas Mårten Zennström was born in Järfälla, Sweden.
Attended Katedralskolan, Uppsala (ongoing)
Attended the historic Katedralskolan in Uppsala for secondary schooling (exact years not provided).
University studies (start and exchange year unknown)
Studied Business Administration (BSc) and Engineering Physics (MSc) at Uppsala University; spent final year at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (exact years not specified).
Completed secondary education (estimated)
Graduated high school at Katedralskolan, Uppsala (year estimated based on birth year).
Started professional career at Tele2
Joined European telecom operator Tele2; began work in telecoms and early internet services.
Hired Janus Friis at Tele2
Employed Janus Friis to head customer service at Tele2 Denmark; started a partnership that would spawn several ventures.
Launched get2net (ISP) and Everyday.com work at Tele2
Responsible for launching and managing Tele2's ISP business get2net and the everyday.com portal (dates approximate within late 1990s).
Left Tele2 and moved to Amsterdam
Left Tele2 to pursue independent ventures with Janus Friis; moved operations to Amsterdam to work on peer-to-peer ideas.
Co-founded Kazaa
Co-founded KaZaA, a second-generation peer-to-peer file-sharing application with Janus Friis.
Founded Joltid (peer-to-peer software) and co-founded Altnet
Established Joltid to develop P2P networking patents/technology and co-founded Altnet, a P2P wholesale network (dates listed as 2001).
Dutch court order regarding KaZaA (copyright injunction)
Courts ordered in November 2001 that KaZaA ensure copyrighted material was not shared; legal challenges began for KaZaA.
KaZaA sold to Sharman Networks
KaZaA was sold to Sharman Networks (announced January 2002); buyers and legal structure were controversial.
Introduced Skype (VoIP) and rapid growth begins
Zennström and Friis launched Skype (organization established in 2003), applying P2P indexing to voice communications.
KaZaA becomes world's most downloaded internet software
By 2003 KaZaA had become the most downloaded internet software globally (citation in sources).
Early funding for Skype (~$8.5M DFJ infusion)
Draper Fisher Jurvetson (Tim Draper) and others provided early capital to commercialize Skype technologies; sources cite ~$8.5M infusion around 2004.
Skype surpasses 50 million users
By 2005 Skype had more than 50 million users, mainly in Europe and Asia (Britannica report).
eBay acquires Skype (first major exit)
eBay agreed to acquire Skype in 2005; Wikipedia reports €2.1B (~$2.6B) with potential bonuses, other sources report similar multi-billion sums.
Named to Time's 100 Most Influential People
Time Magazine included Niklas Zennström (and Janus Friis) in its list of 100 Most Influential People in 2006.
Voted Entrepreneur of the Year (EBLA)
Awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in the European Business Leaders Awards (2006).
Founded Atomico (venture capital firm)
Zennström (with colleagues) founded Atomico Ventures in London to invest in European and global technology companies.
Founded Zennström Philanthropies with spouse Catherine
Established Zennström Philanthropies to fund climate, human rights and social entrepreneurship projects (2007).
Launched Joost (video distribution) — beta and official launch
Joost (previously the Venice Project) was launched: beta early 2007 and an official launch in May 2007 with major sponsors.
Stepped down as Skype CEO (to non-exec chairman)
Served as Skype CEO from founding until September 2007, then transitioned to non-executive roles to focus on other projects.
Returned to music/streaming projects (Rdio development era)
Zennström and partners began work on subscription music streaming; projects evolved into Rdio (beta and launch activity around 2010).
Sold Joost to Adconion Media Group
Joost, the online video distribution service founded by Zennström and Friis, was sold to Adconion Media Group in 2009.
Rolled racing yacht Ràn 2 wins (sailing achievement)
Zennström's yacht/racing team won the Rolex Fastnet race (Sydney?) and other sailing accolades; reportedly wins in 2009 (Ràn 2).
Role: Founder and president of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA)
Founded and served as president of the European Tech Alliance to promote Europe's tech industry (dates not precisely specified; listed as 'founder and former president').
Kazaa litigation outcome and settlement (> $100M)
Australian courts found KaZaA encouraged infringement (July 2006 ruling timeline continued); Zennström and co-defendants contributed over $100M in settlements by 2006 (legal wrangling continued through 2009).
KTH Great Prize awarded
Awarded the KTH Great Prize by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology for entrepreneurial and technological skills (October 2009).
Bought back stake/settled with new Skype owners (software/IP settlement)
In November 2009 Zennström and Friis settled with buyers: transferred software ownership to Skype, received ~10% stake and two board seats, and purchased an additional ~4% for $83M.
Rdio launched (beta phase in 2010)
Subscription-based music streaming service Rdio was beta-tested in 2010; Zennström was a co-founder and backer.
Role: Re-joined Skype board as investor/board member
After the 2009 settlement and investor actions, Zennström re-joined the Skype board (role continued until Microsoft sale and beyond as investor).
Sailing: Rolex Fastnet race win (second such recent win)
Zennström's team recorded another major sailing victory in 2011 (back-to-back Fastnet class wins cited for 2009 and 2011).
Microsoft acquires Skype for $8.5B
Microsoft purchased Skype in May 2011 for $8.5 billion; reports indicate Zennström and Friis made approximately $1 billion between them from the sale (approx. $500M each as a rough split).
Received Lifetime Achievement Award from Oxford Internet Institute
Zennström received the Oxford Internet Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in September 2011.
Awarded H. M. The King's Medal
Awarded H. M. The King's Medal of 12th size with bright blue ribbon for contributions to Swedish industry and society (February 2013).
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences gold medal
Received IVA gold medal for entrepreneurial achievements and leadership (October 2013).
Inducted into Swedish Startup Hall of Fame (SUP46)
Inducted into SUP46's Swedish Startup Hall of Fame in November 2014.
Rdio assets sold to Pandora (~$75M); Rdio bankruptcy
Rdio (co-founded/backed by Zennström) filed for bankruptcy and its key assets were sold to Pandora for roughly $75 million in 2015.
Public manifesto and thought leadership ('The Zennström manifesto')
Published/featured in TechCrunch (Sept 2018) and other outlets articulating views on European tech, competition with Silicon Valley, and investment principles.
Ràn VII electric racing yacht reported
Media articles in 2018 covered Ràn VII, an electric racing yacht linked to Skype billionaire Niklas Zennström (coverage of yachting projects).
Atomico: invested in 200+ companies (approximate milestone)
Atomico (run by Zennström) reported having invested in over 200 companies across four continents (date cited in sources as contemporary; exact year unspecified).
Klarna valuation milestone (linked to Atomico backing)
Klarna reached a reported $46B valuation in 2021; Atomico (Zennström's firm) was among earlier backers and Zennström was one of the first European VCs to fund Klarna (dates of initial investment not precisely specified).
Continued leadership of Atomico; active investor
Zennström continues to run Atomico, investing globally in fintech, mobility and climate tech; the firm has backed companies including Supercell, Rovio, Last.fm, Klarna, Truecaller and Lilium.
Profiled in major outlets and ongoing philanthropy
Continues philanthropic work via Zennström Philanthropies focusing on climate change and human rights; featured in FT and other profiles as of 2024.
Estimated net worth reported in various sources (~$1.2–1.3B)
Multiple non-primary sources estimate Zennström's net worth in the low billions (examples: site estimates ~$1.3B in 2024); figures vary and are estimates.
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