| Birthdate | 8/25/67 |
Xavier Niel, is a French entrepreneur and businessman, active in the telecommunications and technology industry. He is best known as founder and majority shareholder of the French ISP Iliad, trading under the Free brand.
Xavier Niel is an atypical character due to his management style in a company where hierarchy is flat. He is always keen to associate his employees with the company’s success. His approach: “A small team, a commando spirit and adrenalineâ€, he acknowledged last April in Challenges which dedicated its front page to him .
Thanks to Xavier Niel’s strong capacity to innovate and anticipate market expectations, Free revolutionised the French telecommunication market, demonstrating the value of open competition. As a result, France, which was lagging far behind in internet access ten years ago, is now ranking as one of the most advanced countries for digital technologies. He now looks forward to expanding this revolution to the mobile market: lower prices, innovation and a clear-cut offering.
| Company | Date | Round | Size | Participants |
| AppsFire | 2/10 | Angel | $1M | 6 |
| Square | 11/09 | Series A | $10M | 19 |
| Kwaga | 4/09 | Seed | €600k | 6 |
| Deezer | 7/08 | Series A | $6.8M | 3 |
