Serial unicorn founders from Europe
A selection of 27 founders from Europe who started two or more companies that reached a $1B valuation or exit, wherever those companies are based.
European founders who started two or more unicorns
Selected founders · European birthplace or nationality · Companies worldwide
Jazztel
Eolia Renovables*
Gameto*
Oxylabs
Nord Security
OxylabsNord Security
Neko Health
Spotify
Bird
Mollie
Newcleo
Advanced Accelerator Applications
Idorsia
Actelion Pharmaceuticals
SumUp
Skrill
Stark
Quantum Systems
Upgrade
LendingClub
Demandware
Intershop*
Cambridge Antibody Technology
Bicycle Therapeutics
BioNTech
Ganymed Pharmaceuticals*
BioNTechGanymed Pharmaceuticals*
BioNTechGanymed Pharmaceuticals*Honorable mentions
Two unicorns where one later went bust, a second company worth $500M to $1B, or a $1B price that depends on milestones
* Martin Varsavsky: born in Argentina, Spanish citizen. Eolia Renovables: €1.4B including debt. Gameto: up to $1.38B, agreed 2026. Intershop: €11B market value in 2000. Ganymed Pharmaceuticals: €422M upfront, €1.28B with milestones.
Tomas Okmanas and Eimantas Sabaliauskas built Nord Security and Oxylabs from Lithuania. Daniel Ek co-founded Spotify and Neko Health; Adriaan Mol founded Mollie and co-founded Bird. European founders have also built repeat successes abroad: Romania-born Ion Stoica co-founded Databricks, Anyscale and Arena.
This spotlight selects founders with documented European birthplace or nationality, wherever their companies are based. Founders who left Europe before age 16, such as Peter Thiel, are not counted; Dealroom's diaspora indexes use the same rule. It is not a complete European ranking. A unicorn here is a company recorded as having reached a $1B valuation or a $1B exit at any time, even after a later down round. A company that went bust does not count in the main table.
The honorable mentions fall just short of that rule. Alex Chesterman and Brent Hoberman each started two companies that reached $1B, but Cazoo and Made.com later went bust. For the others, the second company sold or was valued at $500M or more but below $1B, or its sale price reaches $1B only when milestone payments are counted.
Explore the global list → · Founders from Israel →
Sources and scope
Founder origins reviewed on 2026-11-13. Company eligibility uses the global dataset captured on 2026-11-05, with separately dated reviewed additions.
- Ion Stoica: Born in Romania.
- Martin Varsavsky: Spanish citizen; born in Buenos Aires.
- Tomas Okmanas: Lithuanian.
- Eimantas Sabaliauskas: Lithuanian.
- Daniel Ek: Born in Stockholm.
- Adriaan Mol: Dutch citizenship.
- Tom Blomfield: British.
- Stefano Buono: Italian.
- Stephen Fitzpatrick: British.
- Bent Jakobsen: Danish.
- James Noble: British.
- Romain Niccoli: French.
- Jean-Paul Clozel: Born in France.
- Martine Clozel: Born in France.
- Daniel Klein: German.
- Lars Christian Wilde: German.
- Florian Seibel: German; former Bundeswehr officer.
- Max Levchin: Emigrated from Ukraine in 1991.
- Sebastian Thrun: Born in Solingen.
- Richard Socher: Born in Dresden.
- Renaud Laplanche: Born in France.
- Sami Inkinen: Grew up in Finland.
- Stephan Schambach: German.
- Greg Winter: Born in Leicester.
- Uğur Şahin: German citizen; born in Turkey, raised in Germany.
- Özlem Türeci: German citizen; born in West Germany.
- Christoph Huber: Austrian.
Honorable mentions:
- Alex Chesterman: British. Zoopla, Cazoo.
- Brent Hoberman: British. Lastminute.com, Made.com.
- Martin Lorentzon: Swedish. Spotify, Tradedoubler.
- Pierre Chappaz: French. Kelkoo, Teads.
- Loïc Soubeyrand: French. Swile, Teads.
- Yves Guillemot and his brothers: French. Ubisoft, Gameloft.
- Robert Coffin: British. Replimune, BioVex.
Company notes: Eolia Renovables €1.4B including debt; Gameto up to $1.38B, agreed 2026; Intershop €11B market value in 2000; Ganymed Pharmaceuticals €422M upfront, €1.28B with milestones.
Tomas Okmanas’s roles at Nord Security and Oxylabs are documented by Index Ventures.