Xavier Niel French entrepreneur and businessman Date of Birth: 25.08.1967 Country: France

1. Ksavier Niel - French Entrepreneur and Businessman
2. Early Career in Telecommunications and Data Processing
3. Founding 'Iliad' and Revolutionary Business Models
4. Triple Play Package and 'Iliad' Ownership
5. Investment Ventures and 'Kima Ventures'
6. 'Le Monde' Acquisition and Legal Troubles

Ksavier Niel - French Entrepreneur and Businessman

Ksavier Niel is a French entrepreneur and businessman who primarily operates in the telecommunications and industrial technology sectors. He is best known as the founder and majority shareholder of the French Internet service provider 'Iliad'. Niel is also one of the owners of the newspaper 'Le Monde' and holds the rights to the song 'My Way'. Currently, Niel holds the positions of Deputy Chairman of the Board and Director of Strategic Affairs at 'Iliad'. His estimated net worth is around $4.3 billion.

Early Career in Telecommunications and Data Processing

Niel started his career in telecommunications and data processing at a relatively young age. At the age of 19, he successfully founded his first company providing services. His network included numerous chat rooms on sexual themes. Later, Niel sold his company and invested in the first Internet service provider in France, 'World-Net', which was established a year before him by Sébastien Socchard, Philippe Langlois, and Pierre Séguret. Niel eventually sold his shares in 'World-Net' just a year before the dot-com crash.

Founding 'Iliad' and Revolutionary Business Models

In 1996, Niel, at the helm of the company renamed 'Iliad', launched his first information service on Minitel. The service has been successful and continues to generate around 1 million euros per year for 'Iliad'. In 1999, Niel created the company 'Free', which offered free internet access through a modem. This caused a considerable stir among other providers who charged for similar services, and the financial model behind 'Free' seemed dubious to many. In 2002, 'Free' introduced a new package offering fast and relatively inexpensive internet for only 30 euros per month, which quickly became a market hit.

Triple Play Package and 'Iliad' Ownership

During this time, 'Free' also became the first provider in France to offer a triple play package, including cable television, telephone services, and high-speed internet. The free modem service attracted many customers, and many of them switched to the faster network. Currently, Niel still holds the largest stake in 'Iliad', owning 63.93% of the company's shares.

Investment Ventures and 'Kima Ventures'

In March 2010, Niel co-founded 'Kima Ventures' with Jeremie Berrebi. 'Kima Ventures' is a fund that sponsors 50 to 100 different startups worldwide each year. From February 2010 to November 2011, the fund invested in 130 companies in 18 countries. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry from 'Business Insider' once referred to Niel and Berrebi as being among the most active business angels in the world.

'Le Monde' Acquisition and Legal Troubles

In late 2010, Niel, together with a group of investors, acquired a controlling stake in the newspaper 'Le Monde'. In April 2011, Niel became a member of the 'Conseil national du numérique'. On May 28, 2004, Niel became the main figure in a scandal where he was accused of pimping and abuse of power. He was later sentenced to one month in prison. The accusation claimed that Niel used a series of sex shops, in which he held shares, to conceal his pimping activities. The charge of pimping was dropped on August 30, 2005, and on October 13, 2006, Niel received a two-year suspended sentence for financial violations.