Martin Varsavsky's companies and exits, from Viatel to Gameto
Ferring agreed on 27 October 2026 to buy Gameto, a fertility biotech Martin Varsavsky co-founded and chairs, for up to $1.38B. It is the latest of his exits since 1996, in telecoms, internet, renewable energy and fertility.
- Gameto makes Fertilo, which matures eggs in the lab and cuts hormone injections before IVF from about two weeks to about three days. It is sold in four countries and in a Phase 3 trial in the US.
- The $1.38B includes milestone payments. Gameto raised about $127M before the sale.
- It grew out of a 2020 fellowship Varsavsky funded at Harvard. Dina Radenkovic Turner co-founded it and is chief executive.
Martin Varsavsky's exits, from Viatel to Gameto
Each line runs from founding to exit. Bubbles are sized by price at sale or listing.
Source: Dealroom.co, company and buyer announcements
Who he is
- Born in Buenos Aires in 1960. His father, Carlos Varsavsky, was an astrophysicist.
- Left Argentina at 17 as a refugee from the military dictatorship. The family settled in New York.
- Studied at New York University and Columbia, where he took a master's in international affairs and an MBA.
- Started his first company, Medicorp Sciences, in 1986 with Nobel laureate César Milstein.
- Moved into fertility in 2016, after he and his wife Nina had their younger children through IVF.
- Chairs the Varsavsky Foundation, which built the education portals Educ.ar and Educarchile.
Now
- Certuma, Austin: an AI doctor aiming for US Food and Drug Administration approval. About $10M seed led by 8VC. He is chief executive.
- Fast.doctor: AI consultations with doctors who can prescribe, in a free pilot in Argentina.
The 14 companies Martin Varsavsky has started since 1986
Source: Dealroom.co, company announcements
Dealroom's records list 41 founders who started three or more unicorns, including provisional cases marked *. With Jazztel, Eolia and Gameto, Varsavsky joins them. The full list of serial unicorn founders has every founder of two or more.
Founders of three or more unicorns
Unicorn in Dealroom's records
† Expedia: later $1B+ acquisition, after its IPO
‡ Support.com: $1.09B closing value on its IPO day
* Prentis: reported $1B fundraising valuation; talks, not a closed round (TechCrunch, 24 July 2026)
Varsavsky: published price of $1B or more
Source: Dealroom.co