Lars Windhorst British entrepreneur originally from Germany Date of Birth: 22.11.1976 Country: Great Britain

1. Biography of Lars Windhorst
2. Early Life and Entrepreneurial Beginnings
3. International Success and Controversies
4. Legal Troubles and Philanthropy

Biography of Lars Windhorst

Lars Windhorst, a British entrepreneur originally from Germany, has always had a burning desire to achieve great heights in the business world. He opened his own company, built bridges in various industries, and became one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Germany. However, not everything is as rosy in the story of this "model economic wunderkind," as he turned into an ordinary fraudster at one point in his career.

Early Life and Entrepreneurial Beginnings

Lars Windhorst was born into a family of office supply store owners in Rahden, Germany. His dreams of becoming a businessman began at the age of eight. At 15, he started writing software and assembling his own computers. Windhorst converted his father's garage into an improvised computer lab, and soon his classmates joined him in assembling computers. The young entrepreneur sold the finished systems in his father's store and searched for affordable computer component suppliers in China.

In 1993, without obtaining a high school diploma, Windhorst opened his first company. His parents handled all the paperwork and would drive him to work every day until he reached adulthood. He quickly built a strong network of contacts in the trading, political, and social spheres, becoming one of the most successful young entrepreneurs in Germany.

International Success and Controversies

Windhorst received an invitation from former Chancellor of Germany, Helmut Kohl, to join a trip to Asia as part of a government delegation. This trip helped him develop international business contacts and become an "exemplary young entrepreneur" and a young participant in the World Economic Forum in Davos.

His first company, Windhorst Electronics GmbH, co-founded with a Chinese businessman, initially focused on importing and trading electronic components and computer parts from Asia, as well as selling IT products throughout Germany and Europe. Just one year after its founding, Windhorst Electronics employed 80 people and reached a profit level of 80 million German marks.

In 1995, Windhorst moved to Hong Kong and established the holding company Windhorst Asia Pacific Holding Limited. In 2000, Windhorst New Technologies AG was launched, focusing on investments in the internet sector and new technologies. However, due to the crisis in the new economy and the collapse of stock and internet markets in 2001, Windhorst New Technologies AG had to declare bankruptcy in 2003.

In 2004, Lars Windhorst became a co-founder of the investment group Sapinda. He became the managing director of Vatas Holding GmbH, a Berlin subsidiary of the Sapinda group. Vatas Holding GmbH owned shares in the airline Air Berlin and the internet service provider Freenet.

During the global crisis of 2008, Sapinda started considering restructuring. In April 2009, Sapinda Holding BV became the new parent company, with main offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and the largest branch in London. From 2009, Windhorst remained the managing director of Sapinda UK, and in 2013, he became the chairman of Sapinda Holding BV and the executive committee of the Sapinda Group, in addition to being a major shareholder of the Sapinda Group.

Legal Troubles and Philanthropy

In 2009, Windhorst faced 35 charges of fraud, embezzlement, and breach of trust in Berlin. A deal was reached, in which prosecutors agreed to drop most of the charges in exchange for a fine of 1 million euros and a compensation of 2.5 million euros to his alleged victims. Additionally, Windhorst pleaded guilty to breach of trust and received a one-year suspended sentence. This episode of misconduct involved diverting 800,000 euros from the company's cash register to his personal accounts.

In 2010, Windhorst faced a civil lawsuit from the American hedge fund Alki Partners, which filed serious allegations against him in a Manhattan court. The documents claimed that Windhorst, along with others, engaged in a "fraudulent scheme" to manipulate the stock prices of the American company Remote DX.

In December 2007, shortly after Christmas, Windhorst survived an airplane crash in Kazakhstan. One of the two pilots died when the plane crashed into a wall and exploded after leaving the runway following refueling in Almaty. The second pilot and a flight attendant sustained serious injuries. Windhorst was on a business flight on a Bombardier Challenger 604, operated by the company Jet Connection. According to hospital reports, Lars suffered burns and injuries to his face and chest.

Between 1992 and 2002, Windhorst served as a board member of the Mentor Foundation, a charitable foundation under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden. This foundation works closely with the World Health Organization. Windhorst has supported the Schwarzkopf Foundation Young Europe since 2011, which helps develop the political awareness and responsibility of young citizens, with a particular focus on strengthening the European idea and pan-European ideology. Since 2012, Lars has supported the Daniel Barenboim Foundation. Alongside Michael R. Bloomberg and other influential figures, Windhorst co-founded The Serpentine Sackler Gallery and joined its board of trustees. He helps promote young artists and contemporary art as a whole.

In October 2013, the magazine Sleek published an artistic supplement called "A Visual Journey." The project was made possible through close collaboration with the Sapinda Group. The supplement featured six young artists and their works.