Alexander Straub
Encyclopedia
Alexander Straub is an Internet and Telecom entrepreneur and investor
.
-based Straub Ventures and Cambridge
-based Cambridge Accelerator Partners. He is a native of Darmstadt
, Germany
. ((wrong as the journalist was not listening. I studied until my Vordiploma in Darmstadt and then went to the USA. He was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford
, where he started a DPhil but never completed it, and holds two engineering degrees, one from Darmstadt
and one from Cornell
. Straub has also conducted research in material science for his diploma thesis as a German Academic Exchange Service
student at Stanford University
.
In 1999, Straub and business partner Rouzbeh Pirouz entered and won a Sunday Times
of London
entrepreneurship contest. With their prize money they founded Mondus, an online B2B
marketplace for SMEs
, which was inspired by eBay
's business model and Straub's internship experience at Degussa. Mondus was partially sold (40.7%) to the Italian
Yellow Pages
giant Seat Pagine Gialle
in 2000, in one of the largest transactions of its type for a European startup. Soon after the transaction Straub left the firm, while his former partner Pirouz stayed on. Mondus later was bought back by both entrepreneurs from Seat Pagine Gialle.
Prior to Mondus, Straub held an internship position with Goldman Sachs
’ principal investment area in London where he assisted an investment into SSL, later floated on NASDAQ
under the name Parthus. During his studies he also worked as an intern at McKinsey & Co, Degussa, Braas and Heraeus
. After Mondus, he became a principal and general partner at Lazard
Technology Partners (LTP) in New York
. While at LTP he was the lead investor in 25 technology companies from a $300m fund focused on early to late stage enterprises in the areas of software, telecom and Internet.
Parallel to his engagement in funding and supporting promising tech startups in the domains of internet, mobile, biotech and green technologies at Straub Ventures he also acts as director in some of his current investments. Examples investments are IBX a procurement software company based in Stockholm, Sweden, OB10 the worlds leading e-Invoicing network and Summit PLC a leading UK biotech company. He is the Chairman and co-founder of Pixsta
, the Visual Search company behind Empora. Pixsta has won several awards like Red Herring Europe 100 and was shortlisted to Global Red Herring 100. He also co-founded ((truphone
)), which uses Voice over WLAN technology. Truphone holds numerous awards like Mobile Voice Product of the Year, Global Red Herring 100 and Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum 2007. He is a board member of TRU, previously ((truphone
)) and advices the company in strategic questions. Straub was named Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum in 2007 and 2008.
Investor
An investor is a party that makes an investment into one or more categories of assets --- equity, debt securities, real estate, currency, commodity, derivatives such as put and call options, etc...
.
Biography
Alexander Straub is a German born entrepreneur and European venture capitalist at LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Straub Ventures and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
-based Cambridge Accelerator Partners. He is a native of Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. ((wrong as the journalist was not listening. I studied until my Vordiploma in Darmstadt and then went to the USA. He was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he started a DPhil but never completed it, and holds two engineering degrees, one from Darmstadt
Darmstadt University of Technology
The Technische Universität Darmstadt, abbreviated TU Darmstadt, is a university in the city of Darmstadt, Germany...
and one from Cornell
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
. Straub has also conducted research in material science for his diploma thesis as a German Academic Exchange Service
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
student at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
In 1999, Straub and business partner Rouzbeh Pirouz entered and won a Sunday Times
The Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
entrepreneurship contest. With their prize money they founded Mondus, an online B2B
Business-to-business
Business-to-business describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer...
marketplace for SMEs
Small and medium enterprise
Small and medium enterprises or small and medium-sized enterprises are companies whose headcount or turnover falls below certain limits.The abbreviation "SME" occurs commonly...
, which was inspired by eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
's business model and Straub's internship experience at Degussa. Mondus was partially sold (40.7%) to the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
giant Seat Pagine Gialle
Seat Pagine Gialle
SEAT Pagine Gialle is an Italian telephone directories and street maps publisher, active also in the online advertising sector. The UK subsidiary is Thomson Directories Ltd.-External links:***...
in 2000, in one of the largest transactions of its type for a European startup. Soon after the transaction Straub left the firm, while his former partner Pirouz stayed on. Mondus later was bought back by both entrepreneurs from Seat Pagine Gialle.
Prior to Mondus, Straub held an internship position with Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is an American multinational bulge bracket investment banking and securities firm that engages in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and other financial services primarily with institutional clients...
’ principal investment area in London where he assisted an investment into SSL, later floated on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
under the name Parthus. During his studies he also worked as an intern at McKinsey & Co, Degussa, Braas and Heraeus
Heraeus
Heraeus Holding GmbH is an engineering group based in Hanau, Germany. Its core areas of business are precious metals, special metals, dental materials, medical technology, quartz glass, sensors and specialised light sources...
. After Mondus, he became a principal and general partner at Lazard
Lazard
Lazard Ltd is the parent company of Lazard Group LLC, a global, independent investment bank with approximately 2,300 employees in 42 cities across 27 countries throughout Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, Central and South America...
Technology Partners (LTP) in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. While at LTP he was the lead investor in 25 technology companies from a $300m fund focused on early to late stage enterprises in the areas of software, telecom and Internet.
Parallel to his engagement in funding and supporting promising tech startups in the domains of internet, mobile, biotech and green technologies at Straub Ventures he also acts as director in some of his current investments. Examples investments are IBX a procurement software company based in Stockholm, Sweden, OB10 the worlds leading e-Invoicing network and Summit PLC a leading UK biotech company. He is the Chairman and co-founder of Pixsta
Pixsta
Pixta Ltd. is a UK-based image and video search company founded in 2006 by Alexander Straub, Dr. Daniel Heesch and David Williams.- Background :...
, the Visual Search company behind Empora. Pixsta has won several awards like Red Herring Europe 100 and was shortlisted to Global Red Herring 100. He also co-founded ((truphone
Truphone
Tru is a mobile network that operates internationally. It has headquarters in London, and offices in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal....
)), which uses Voice over WLAN technology. Truphone holds numerous awards like Mobile Voice Product of the Year, Global Red Herring 100 and Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum 2007. He is a board member of TRU, previously ((truphone
Truphone
Tru is a mobile network that operates internationally. It has headquarters in London, and offices in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Philippines, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal....
)) and advices the company in strategic questions. Straub was named Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum in 2007 and 2008.
External links
- http://www.straubventures.com London based Straub Ventures