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{{short description|Argentine entrepreneur based in Spain (born 1960)}}
[[Image:Martin Varsavsky 2009b.jpg‎|thumb|Martín Varsavsky]]
{{Infobox person
⚫
| name = Martín Varsavsky
| image = Martin Varsavsky 2011.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Varsavsky in 2011
⚫
| birth_name = Martín Varsavsky Waisman
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1960}}
| birth_place = [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[New York University]]|[[Columbia University]]}}
| occupation = Entrepreneur
| parents = [[Carlos Varsavsky]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Nina Wiegand|July 22, 2009}}
| children = 7
⚫
| website = {{URL|http://english.martinvarsavsky.net/}}
}}


'''Martín Varsavsky Waisman-Diamond''' (born April 26, 1960) is an [[Argentina|Argentine]] entrepreneur and philanthropist based in [[Spain]] who founded several companies worldwide, as well as serving as an early-stage investor in others. Currently, Varsavsky is Executive Chairman and Founder of [[Prelude Fertility]]<ref name="About - Prelude Fertility">{{cite web|url=https://www.preludefertility.com/about|title=About - Prelude Fertility|website=www.preludefertility.com}}</ref> and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of [[Overture Life]].<ref name="Overture">{{cite web|url=https://overture.life/|title=Overture|website=overture.life}}</ref>
'''Martín Varsavsky''' (born in [[Buenos Aires]] in [[1960]]) is an [[Argentina|Argentine]] entrepreneur based in [[Spain]].


==Early life and education==
⚫
Born to [[Carlos Varsavsky]] and [[Silvia Waisman]], Varsavsky attended primary school at the New Model School and the Colegio Nicolás Avellaneda high school.


⚫
Born to [[Carlos Varsavsky]] and Silvia Waisman-Diamond, Varsavsky attended primary school at the New Model School and the Colegio Nicolás Avellaneda high school. He was raised in the [[Jewish]] faith.
⚫
At the age of 16, he moved with his family to the [[United States]] as a [[refugee]] supported and assisted by '''[[B'nai B'rith]]''', following the [[forced disappearance]] of his cousin, [[David Horacio Varsavsky]]. In 1981 he obtained a BA at the [[New York University]], in 1983 he earned an MA in International Affairs and in 1985 an MBA at [[Columbia University]].


⚫
At the age of 17, he moved with his family to the [[United States]] as a [[refugee]] supported and assisted by [[B'nai B'rith]], following the [[forced disappearance]] of his cousin, [http://www.cidh.org/countryrep/Argentina80eng/chap.3a.htm David Horacio Varsavsky].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spanish.martinvarsavsky.net/general/porque-ya-no-voy-a-buenos-aires.html|title=Por qué no voy a Buenos Aires - Martin Varsavsky - Spanish|date=15 January 2010|publisher=}}</ref> In 1981 he obtained a BA at the [[New York University]], in 1983 he earned an MA in International Affairs from [[Columbia University]] and in 1985 an MBA at [[Columbia Business School]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
Since July 1995, Varsavsky has been living in [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]. Besides his business activities, he is also engaged in non profit activities.


==Career==
Since 1999 Varsavsky has been teaching courses on ''[[entrepreneurship]]'' at the [[Instituto de Empresa Business School]] in Spain. He has written articles on business and international relations that have been published in several international publications including [[El País]] and [[Newsweek]], and is a frequent speaker at conferences around the world. Varsavsky is also an active [[blogger]].
⚫
In 1984, at the age of 24 and still in college, Varsavsky created ''Urban Capital Corporation'', a [[real estate]] company in New York that was one of the early developers of [[loft]] apartments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whiteboardmag.com/how-25-year-old-martin-varsavsky-raised-12-million-dollars/|title=How 25 year old Martin Varsavsky raised 12 million dollars|work=Whiteboard|date=}}</ref> Urban Capital Corporation purchased industrial buildings and recycled them into residential apartments and offices, developing up to 50 thousand square meters in the [[SoHo, Manhattan|SoHo]] and [[Tribeca]] neighborhoods of New York City.


⚫
In 1986, together with Argentine scientist Claudio Cuello and [[César Milstein]] (Medical Science Nobel Prize), Varsavsky founded [[Medicorp Sciences]], a [[biotechnology]] company in which he is still a shareholder. Based in Montreal, Medicorp Sciences were among the first to make AIDS and Cancer products of different kinds ([[HIV]] and [[Prostate-specific antigen|PSA]] tests).<ref name="martinvarsavsky.net">{{cite web|url=https://english.martinvarsavsky.net/general/my-companies.html|title=The stories behind my companies · Martin Varsavsky - English|date=2 March 2005|publisher=}}</ref>
Martín Varsavsky has three children from his first marriage to [[Patricia Aisemberg]], Alexandra, Isabella and Thomas and has one child from his second marriage with Waya Quiviger, Leo. Martin is engaged to Nina Wiegand.


In 1991, Varsavsky founded the telecommunications company [[Viatel]] in [[Colorado]], which operated a call-back service, as an alternative traditional long-distance operators, similar to [[Econophone]]. Viatel later became an alternative [[telecommunications service provider]] in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In 1997 Varsavsky resigned his official positions and sold his Viatel shares.<ref name="martinvarsavsky.net"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1997/02/17/222204/index.htm|title=VIATEL A CAUTIONARY TALE WALL STREET HEAVY HITTERS LIKE GEORGE SOROS ARE BACKING THIS SMALL, SHAKY TELECOM OUTFIT--BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD TOO. - February 17, 1997|website=archive.fortune.com}}</ref>
== Entrepreneurial activities ==


⚫
In July 1995, Varsavsky moved to [[Madrid]], [[Spain]]. From 1999 to 2011 he taught courses on [[entrepreneurship]] at [[IE Business School]] (formerly Instituto de Empresa) in Spain. In 1997, Varsavsky founded [[Jazztel]], an alternative telecommunications access provider in the Iberian Peninsula. Headquartered in Madrid and with its own infrastructure, the company became a telecommunications operator offering bandwidth for residential and commercial customers, competing with [[Telefónica]]. Jazztel PLC went public (IPO) in December 1999.
⚫
In 1984, at the age of 24 and still in college, Varsavsky created '''Urban Capital Corporation''', a real estate company in New York that was one of the early leaders in the [[Loft]] Movement. Urban Capital Corporation purchased industrial buildings and recycled them into residential apartments and offices, developing up to 50 thousand square meters in the Soho and Tribeca neighborhoods of New York City.


⚫
In 1999, he created ''Ya.com Internet Factory'', a Spanish internet services/DSL provider that also included the Spanish language online travel agency Viajar.com (later sold to [[Lastminute.com Group|Bravofly Rumbo Group]]. Ya.com was owned by Jazztel (70%), Varsavsky (10%) and the company's' staff (20%). It was sold in 2000 to T-Online International, [[Deutsche Telekom]]'s Internet subsidiary for 550 million euros.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elmundo.es/navegante/diario/2000/09/04/ya.html|title=EL MUNDO - Diario del Navegante 2.0|website=www.elmundo.es}}</ref>
⚫
In 1986, together with Argentine scientist Claudio Cuello and [[César Milstein]] (Medical Science Nobel Prize), Varsavsky founded [http://www.medicorp.com Medicorp Sciences], a biotechnology company in which he is still a shareholder. Based in Montreal, Medicorp Sciences pioneered the development of HIV and PSA tests.


⚫
In 2000, Varsavsky created ''EINSTEINet AG'', an [[application service provider]] (ASP) in Germany. Einsteinet was a company built on the premise that most applications were going to migrate from people's PCs to the internet. EINSTEINet did not materialize, the company was sold and represented losses for Varsavsky for 35 million euros.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spanish.martinvarsavsky.net/general/llego-einsteinet-7-anos-mas-tarde-pero-llego.html|title=Llegó Einsteinet 7 años más tarde, pero llegó - Martin Varsavsky - Spanish|date=19 October 2008|publisher=}}</ref>
Since the late 1980s Martín Varsavsky has founded seven companies, including [[Jazztel]], [[EINSTEINet]] and [http://www.ya.com/ Ya.com] – all part of the [[new media]] industry.


He launched the company [[Fon (company)|Fon]] in [[Madrid]] at the end of 2005, which provides international [[WiFi]] services using user-generated infrastructure. Fon is backed by equity investors [[Google]], [[Skype]], [[Microsoft]], [[Index Ventures]] [[Qualcomm Ventures]], and [[Deutsche Telekom]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://network.fon.com/wifi-community-network/|title=Pioneers of community WiFi, we are the global WiFi network - Fon|publisher=}}</ref> In 2012, the network reached over 7 million [[WiFi]] hotspots in several countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://corp.fon.com/en/this-is-fon/millions-of-members/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628010716/http://corp.fon.com/en/this-is-fon/millions-of-members/|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 June 2012|title=Fon - Millions of members who share WiFi|date=28 June 2012}}</ref>
In 1991, Varsavsky ventured into the telecommunications sector with [http://www.viatel.com/ Viatel]. Viatel created and developed the call-back service, an innovative alternative to the high costs of traditional long-distance operators, similar to Econophone (later renamed Destia Inc). Viatel evolved from providing the first call-back service in Colorado to becoming an alternative telecom services provider in several European countries (such as France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom). In 1994, Viatel went public, and four years later (1998)Varsavsky divested from the company to dedicate himself to other ventures. Viatel Inc. filed for bankruptcy (Chapter 11) in May 2001. Investors, both shareholders and bondholders, lost US$ 1.5 billion - US$ 2 billion. Since then, the (much smaller) restart of Viatel, based in London, operates a fibre-optic circuit, connecting more than 50 strategically situated points from Western Europe to the US East Coast's largest cities.


In 2015, backed by [[Lee Equity Partners|Lee Equity]], Martin founded Prelude Fertility/[https://www.inceptionllc.com Inception] now the largest chain of fertility clinics in the USA.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Prelude Fertility aims to give women and couples a choice on the timing of a family|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/10/20/prelude-fertility-aims-to-give-women-and-couples-a-choice-on-the-timing-of-a-family/|access-date=2021-03-05|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
In 1997, Varsavsky founded ''Jazztel Telecommunications'' (Jazz), the first alternative telecommunications access provider in the Iberian Peninsula. Headquartered in Madrid and with its own infrastructure, the company became the leading telecommunications operator offering bandwidth solutions for the residential and commercial markets. Jazztel then went public.


In 2017, Martin founded [http://www.overture.life Overture Life], focused on automating the embryology lab. Overture is backed by [[Khosla Ventures]], [[Marc Benioff]] and [[Allen & Company]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Farr|first=Katie Schoolov, Christina|date=2019-01-19|title=As more women in Silicon Valley freeze their eggs, some are building start-ups to make it easier and better|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/18/egg-freezing-start-ups-funded-or-run-by-women.html|access-date=2021-03-05|website=CNBC|language=en}}</ref>
⚫
In 1999, Varsavsky created ''Ya.com Internet Factory'', Spain's third largest internet web site/DSL provider that also includes the second largest Spanish language online travel agency, [http://www.viajar.com/ Viajar.com]. Ya.com was owned by Jazztel (70%), Martín Varsavsky (10%) and the company's' staff (20%). It was sold in 2000 to T-Online International, [[Deutsche Telekom]]'s Internet subsidiary.


In 2018 Martin founded [http://www.goggo.network Goggo Network], an [[Axel Springer SE|Axel Springer]]/[[SoftBank Group|Softbank]] backed startup that is helping develop the legal and engineering framework for fleets of autonomous vehicles and plans to deploy these fleets.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-03-11|title=The SoftBank-backed startup stopping Google robo-taxis from dominating Europe|url=https://sifted.eu/articles/goggo-network/|access-date=2021-03-05|website=Sifted|language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
In 2000, Martín Varsavsky created '''EINSTEINet AG''', the largest [[application service provider]] (ASP) in Germany. Einsteinet was a company built on the premise that most applications were going to migrate from people's PCs to the internet. Yet the EINSTEINet did not materialize and the company was sold saving the employees jobs but providing no returns.


In 2021, Martin founded [https://www.levereholdings.com Levere Holdings], a publicly-traded (NASDAQ: LVRA) Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) seeking to invest and merge with a business that will play a key role in the future of mobility in EMEA, focusing on the development of mobility services, connected vehicles, electric vehicles and autonomous driving.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tiefenthaler|first=Federica|title=Levere Holdings' $250 Million Initial Public Offering|url=https://www.globallegalchronicle.com/levere-holdings-250-million-initial-public-offering/|access-date=2021-06-18|language=en-US}}</ref>
Varsavsky's current venture is called '''[[FON]]'''. Founded at the end of 2005, FON is a community-driven company dedicated to building the world's largest global WiFi community, spreading the power of WiFi around the world through an innovative user-generated infrastructure. Headquartered in Madrid, FON is backed by its equity investors and partners [[Google]], [[Skype]], [[Index Ventures]] and [[Sequoia Capital]] to WiFi enable the planet.


Varsavsky has written articles on business and international relations for [[El País]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elpais.com/autor/martin_varsavsky/a/|title=Artículos escritos por Martin Varsavsky|language=Spanish|author=|work=[[El País]]}}</ref> [[Newsweek]], [[El Mundo (Spain)]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elmundo.es/blogs/elmundo/lapurezaestaenlamezcla/|title=La pureza est en la mezcla|work=[[El Mundo (Spain)]]}}</ref> and [[The Huffington Post]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/martin-varsavsky/|title=Martin Varsavsky|work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref> and is a frequent speaker at conferences like Next Conference.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nextconf.eu/person/martin-varsavsky/|title=Martin Varsavsky|website=NEXT Conference}}</ref> Varsavsky is also a [[blog]]ger and contributor to the [[LinkedIn]] Influencers Program, where he writes and gives talks on entrepreneurship and technology. In 2012 Varsavsky began teaching entrepreneurship at [[Columbia University]] in New York City.<ref>https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinvarsavsky/ {{Self-published source|date=June 2022}}</ref>
Currently, Varsavsky also acts as an investment partner in various early stage companies including [http://www.getgspace.com/ Gspace], [[Joost]], [http://meneame.net/ Menéame], [http://mo.neytrack.in/ mo.neytrack.in], [[Netvibes]], [http://beta.plazes.com / Plazes], [[Technorati]], [http://www.vpod.tv/ vpod.tv], [[Wikio]], [[XING]], [[Dopplr]], [[Vuze]] and [[Hipertextual]]. Outside of the telecommunications sector, he is the majority shareholder of the [[wind park]] ''El Moralejo'' (a renewable energy generator) and Proesa, owner of the fashion labels [http://www.sybilla.es/ Sybilla] and [http://www.jocomomola.com/ Jocomomola].


He has been an investment partner in early-stage companies including [[iTravel]], [[Aura Biosciences]], [[Menéame]], [[Netvibes]], [[Plazes]], [[Technorati]], [[Eloquii]], [[Dopplr]], [[Tumblr]], [[Hipertextual]], [[Busuu]], [[23andMe]], [[MUBI]] and [[Result (company)|Result]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.martinvarsavsky.net/investments|title=Investments · Martin Varsavsky - English|date=14 June 2007|publisher=}}</ref> Outside of telecommunications, he was the majority shareholder of the [[wind park]] ''El Moralejo'' (a renewable energy generator) and Proesa, owner of the fashion labels [[Sybilla (company)|Sybilla]] and [[Jocomomola]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.modaes.es/empresa/la-historica-sybilla-rompe-con-sus-antiguos-socios-y-ultima-ya-su-regreso-a-la-moda.html|title=La histórica Sybilla 'rompe' con sus antiguos socios y ultima ya su regreso a la moda|website=www.modaes.es}}</ref>
== Honors and awards ==


Currently, Varsavsky is Executive Chairman and Founder of [[Prelude Fertility]]<ref name="About - Prelude Fertility"/> and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of [[Overture Life]].<ref name="Overture"/>
* World Technology (2006)
⚫
* Pickering, Columbia University (2003)
⚫
* Spanish Entrepreneur of the Year, iBest (2000)
⚫
* Global Leader for Tomorrow, World Economic Forum (2000)
⚫
* European Entrepreneur of the Year, ECTA (1999)
* European Entrepreneur in Telecommunications (1998)
⚫
* Entrepreneur of the Year, New York City 1995)


== Philanthrophic activities ==
== Philanthropic work ==
[[Image:Koji Omi Martin Varsavsky.jpg|thumb|Martín Varsavsky with [[Koji Omi]] at STS in [[Kyoto]].]]
[[Image:Koji Omi Martin Varsavsky.jpg|thumb|Martín Varsavsky with [[Koji Omi]] at STS in [[Kyoto]].]]
Martín Varsavsky is founder and president of the [http://www.varsavskyfoundation.org/ Varsavsky Foundation], devoted to improve the educational conditions in the world. The foundation promotes [http://www.educ.ar Educ.ar] (Argentina) and [http://www.educarchile.cl EducarChile] ([[Chile]]), aiming to democratize and modernize the educational systems in both countries.
Varsavsky is founder and president of the [https://english.varsavskyfoundation.org/info/mission.html Varsavsky Foundation], which works to improve educational conditions in several countries. The foundation promotes the education portals [http://www.Educ.ar Educ.ar] in [[Argentina]] and [http://www.Educarchile.cl Educarchile.cl] in [[Chile]], aiming to democratize and modernize the educational systems in both countries.


He is also founder and president of the [http://www.safe-democracy.org Safe Democracy Foundation], devoted to contributing to the ongoing debates on the leading questions in international affairs with innovative ideas and solutions. The foundation’s goal is to promote fair, transparent and safe democracies.
He is also founder and president of the [http://english.safe-democracy.org/ Safe Democracy Foundation], devoted to contributing to debates in international affairs. The foundation's goal is to promote fair, transparent and safe democracy.


The Safe Democracy Foundation and the [[Club of Madrid]] organized the [http://www.atochaworkshop.org/ Atocha Workshop] in March 2005 and the international Summit on Terrorism, Democracy and Security. The Secretary General of the United Nations and numerous heads of State met in Madrid to analyze how democracies should protect themselves against terrorism in a more effective way without compromising the spirit and safeguards of democracy.
The Safe Democracy Foundation and the [[Club of Madrid]] organized the [http://www.atochaworkshop.org/ Atocha Workshop] in March 2005 and the international Summit on Terrorism, Democracy and Security.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}


==Personal life==
Varsavsky is on the Board of Trustees of the ''[[Clinton Foundation|William Jefferson Clinton Foundation]]'' and the [http://www.onevoicemovement.org One Voice Foundation].
Varsavsky [[married]] Nina Wiegand on July 22, 2009, in [[Hawaii]]. He has seven children.

== Awards and recognition ==
Varsavsky is the recipient of various honors and rewards,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/martin-varsavsky|title=Martin Varsavsky - HuffPost|website=www.huffingtonpost.com}}</ref> among them:

* [http://www.wtn.net/2006/summit/finalists.html World Technology, Fon: The most innovative organization in technology world (2006)]
⚫
* Pickering Prize, Columbia University (2003)
* [http://www.lasemana.es/archivo/antiguos/167/comunicacion/com01.html Spanish Entrepreneur of the Year, iBest (2000)]
⚫
* [http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GLT_ClassOf2000.pdf Global Leader for Tomorrow, World Economic Forum (2000)]
⚫
* European Entrepreneur of the Year, ECTA (1999)
⚫
* European Telecommunications Entrepreneur of the Year (1998)
⚫
* Finalist in the Entrepreneur of the Year contest, New York City (1995)
* Described in Forbes Magazine as [https://www.forbes.com/global/1999/1004/0219058a.html Young, Rich & Restless] (1999)


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
* [http://english.martinvarsavsky.net/general/my-biography.html Martín Varsavsky's short autobiography]
⚫
* [http://www.forbes.com/global/1999/1004/0219058a.html Interview, Forbes Magazine Interview, Harvard Business School]


== External links ==
== External links ==
⚫
{{commons category|Martin Varsavsky}}
⚫
* [http://english.martinvarsavsky.net/ Martín Varsavsky's blog]
* {{Official website|http://english.martinvarsavsky.net/}}
⚫
* [http://www.elektrischer-reporter.de/index.php/site/film/32/ Video interview with Martín Varsavsky (English, German intro and subtitles)]
* [http://www.varsavskyfoundation.org/ Varsavsky Foundation]
⚫
* [http://www.elektrischer-reporter.de/index.php/site/film/32/ Video interview with Martín Varsavsky (English, German intro and subtitles)]
* [http://www.whiteboardmag.com/interview-martin-varsavsky-fon-hardware/ Interview with Martin Varsavsky, 2012]
⚫
* [https://www.forbes.com/global/1999/1004/0219058a.html Interview, Forbes Magazine Interview, Harvard Business School]


{{Authority control}}


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{{DEFAULTSORT:Varsavsky, Martin}}
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[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Columbia Business School alumni]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Spanish businesspeople]]
[[Category:Spanish businesspeople]]
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[[Category:Argentine Spaniards]]
[[Category:Argentine Jews]]
[[Category:Argentine Jews]]
[[Category:Spanish Jews]]
[[Category:Argentine emigrants to Spain]]
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[[Category:Argentine philanthropists]]

[[Category:Spanish male bloggers]]
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Latest revision as of 01:17, 7 September 2024

Martín Varsavsky
Varsavsky in 2011
Born
Martín Varsavsky Waisman

1960 (age 63–64)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Alma mater
OccupationEntrepreneur
Spouse
Nina Wiegand
​
(m. 2009)​
Children7
ParentCarlos Varsavsky
Websiteenglish.martinvarsavsky.net

Martín Varsavsky Waisman-Diamond (born April 26, 1960) is an Argentine entrepreneur and philanthropist based in Spain who founded several companies worldwide, as well as serving as an early-stage investor in others. Currently, Varsavsky is Executive Chairman and Founder of Prelude Fertility[1] and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Overture Life.[2]

Early life and education

[edit]

Born to Carlos Varsavsky and Silvia Waisman-Diamond, Varsavsky attended primary school at the New Model School and the Colegio Nicolás Avellaneda high school. He was raised in the Jewish faith.

At the age of 17, he moved with his family to the United States as a refugee supported and assisted by B'nai B'rith, following the forced disappearance of his cousin, David Horacio Varsavsky.[3] In 1981 he obtained a BA at the New York University, in 1983 he earned an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and in 1985 an MBA at Columbia Business School.[citation needed]

Career

[edit]

In 1984, at the age of 24 and still in college, Varsavsky created Urban Capital Corporation, a real estate company in New York that was one of the early developers of loft apartments.[4] Urban Capital Corporation purchased industrial buildings and recycled them into residential apartments and offices, developing up to 50 thousand square meters in the SoHo and Tribeca neighborhoods of New York City.

In 1986, together with Argentine scientist Claudio Cuello and César Milstein (Medical Science Nobel Prize), Varsavsky founded Medicorp Sciences, a biotechnology company in which he is still a shareholder. Based in Montreal, Medicorp Sciences were among the first to make AIDS and Cancer products of different kinds (HIV and PSA tests).[5]

In 1991, Varsavsky founded the telecommunications company Viatel in Colorado, which operated a call-back service, as an alternative traditional long-distance operators, similar to Econophone. Viatel later became an alternative telecommunications service provider in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. In 1997 Varsavsky resigned his official positions and sold his Viatel shares.[5][6]

In July 1995, Varsavsky moved to Madrid, Spain. From 1999 to 2011 he taught courses on entrepreneurship at IE Business School (formerly Instituto de Empresa) in Spain. In 1997, Varsavsky founded Jazztel, an alternative telecommunications access provider in the Iberian Peninsula. Headquartered in Madrid and with its own infrastructure, the company became a telecommunications operator offering bandwidth for residential and commercial customers, competing with Telefónica. Jazztel PLC went public (IPO) in December 1999.

In 1999, he created Ya.com Internet Factory, a Spanish internet services/DSL provider that also included the Spanish language online travel agency Viajar.com (later sold to Bravofly Rumbo Group. Ya.com was owned by Jazztel (70%), Varsavsky (10%) and the company's' staff (20%). It was sold in 2000 to T-Online International, Deutsche Telekom's Internet subsidiary for 550 million euros.[7]

In 2000, Varsavsky created EINSTEINet AG, an application service provider (ASP) in Germany. Einsteinet was a company built on the premise that most applications were going to migrate from people's PCs to the internet. EINSTEINet did not materialize, the company was sold and represented losses for Varsavsky for 35 million euros.[8]

He launched the company Fon in Madrid at the end of 2005, which provides international WiFi services using user-generated infrastructure. Fon is backed by equity investors Google, Skype, Microsoft, Index Ventures Qualcomm Ventures, and Deutsche Telekom.[9] In 2012, the network reached over 7 million WiFi hotspots in several countries.[10]

In 2015, backed by Lee Equity, Martin founded Prelude Fertility/Inception now the largest chain of fertility clinics in the USA.[11]

In 2017, Martin founded Overture Life, focused on automating the embryology lab. Overture is backed by Khosla Ventures, Marc Benioff and Allen & Company.[12]

In 2018 Martin founded Goggo Network, an Axel Springer/Softbank backed startup that is helping develop the legal and engineering framework for fleets of autonomous vehicles and plans to deploy these fleets.[13]

In 2021, Martin founded Levere Holdings, a publicly-traded (NASDAQ: LVRA) Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) seeking to invest and merge with a business that will play a key role in the future of mobility in EMEA, focusing on the development of mobility services, connected vehicles, electric vehicles and autonomous driving.[14]

Varsavsky has written articles on business and international relations for El País,[15] Newsweek, El Mundo (Spain),[16] and The Huffington Post,[17] and is a frequent speaker at conferences like Next Conference.[18] Varsavsky is also a blogger and contributor to the LinkedIn Influencers Program, where he writes and gives talks on entrepreneurship and technology. In 2012 Varsavsky began teaching entrepreneurship at Columbia University in New York City.[19]

He has been an investment partner in early-stage companies including iTravel, Aura Biosciences, Menéame, Netvibes, Plazes, Technorati, Eloquii, Dopplr, Tumblr, Hipertextual, Busuu, 23andMe, MUBI and Result.[20] Outside of telecommunications, he was the majority shareholder of the wind park El Moralejo (a renewable energy generator) and Proesa, owner of the fashion labels Sybilla and Jocomomola.[21]

Currently, Varsavsky is Executive Chairman and Founder of Prelude Fertility[1] and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Overture Life.[2]

Philanthropic work

[edit]
Martín Varsavsky with Koji Omi at STS in Kyoto.

Varsavsky is founder and president of the Varsavsky Foundation, which works to improve educational conditions in several countries. The foundation promotes the education portals Educ.ar in Argentina and Educarchile.cl in Chile, aiming to democratize and modernize the educational systems in both countries.

He is also founder and president of the Safe Democracy Foundation, devoted to contributing to debates in international affairs. The foundation's goal is to promote fair, transparent and safe democracy.

The Safe Democracy Foundation and the Club of Madrid organized the Atocha Workshop in March 2005 and the international Summit on Terrorism, Democracy and Security.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Varsavsky married Nina Wiegand on July 22, 2009, in Hawaii. He has seven children.

Awards and recognition

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Varsavsky is the recipient of various honors and rewards,[22] among them:

References

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  1. ^ a b "About - Prelude Fertility". www.preludefertility.com.
  2. ^ a b "Overture". overture.life.
  3. ^ "Por qué no voy a Buenos Aires - Martin Varsavsky - Spanish". 15 January 2010.
  4. ^ "How 25 year old Martin Varsavsky raised 12 million dollars". Whiteboard.
  5. ^ a b "The stories behind my companies · Martin Varsavsky - English". 2 March 2005.
  6. ^ "VIATEL A CAUTIONARY TALE WALL STREET HEAVY HITTERS LIKE GEORGE SOROS ARE BACKING THIS SMALL, SHAKY TELECOM OUTFIT--BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD TOO. - February 17, 1997". archive.fortune.com.
  7. ^ "EL MUNDO - Diario del Navegante 2.0". www.elmundo.es.
  8. ^ "Llegó Einsteinet 7 años más tarde, pero llegó - Martin Varsavsky - Spanish". 19 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Pioneers of community WiFi, we are the global WiFi network - Fon".
  10. ^ "Fon - Millions of members who share WiFi". 28 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Prelude Fertility aims to give women and couples a choice on the timing of a family". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  12. ^ Farr, Katie Schoolov, Christina (2019-01-19). "As more women in Silicon Valley freeze their eggs, some are building start-ups to make it easier and better". CNBC. Retrieved 2021-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "The SoftBank-backed startup stopping Google robo-taxis from dominating Europe". Sifted. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  14. ^ Tiefenthaler, Federica. "Levere Holdings' $250 Million Initial Public Offering". Retrieved 2021-06-18.
  15. ^ "Artículos escritos por Martin Varsavsky". El País (in Spanish).
  16. ^ "La pureza est en la mezcla". El Mundo (Spain).
  17. ^ "Martin Varsavsky". The Huffington Post.
  18. ^ "Martin Varsavsky". NEXT Conference.
  19. ^ https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinvarsavsky/ [self-published source]
  20. ^ "Investments · Martin Varsavsky - English". 14 June 2007.
  21. ^ "La histórica Sybilla 'rompe' con sus antiguos socios y ultima ya su regreso a la moda". www.modaes.es.
  22. ^ "Martin Varsavsky - HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.com.
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