Brent Hoberman CBE co-founded lastminute.com in April 1998 with Martha Lane Fox.
As the company CEO, he led the company to profit and gross bookings of over $2bn.
Brent is now Chairman and Co-Founder of made.com a direct-from-factory consumer crowd-sourced homewares retailer in the UK.
lastminute.com:
The company floated in March 2000 when the dot-com bubble was at its peak – the IPO was 40 times oversubscribed and the price increase during the process was a record for a UK company. lastminute.com acquired 14 businesses after the IPO to supplement the annual growth of the core brand which was over 100% from 1998 – 2004.
In 2005 lastminute.com was sold to Sabre for $1.1bn.
Serial Digital Entrepreneur:
In 2007, Brent founded another VC-backed internet-based start-up, mydeco – an innovative online service for home design and furniture.
Brent sits on the Advisory board for LetterOne Technology (a $16bn investment fund) and the UK Government Digital Advisory Board. Brent is also a Non- Executive Board Director of Guardian Media Group, TalkTalk PLC & Shazam.
He is a YGL and Prime Minister’s Business Trade Ambassador. Brent was awarded a CBE in the 2015 New Year’s Honour’s List.
Brent chairs and co-founded Founders Forum in 2006, a series of intimate annual global events for the leading entrepreneurs of today and the rising stars of tomorrow which take place in London, LA, NYC, Istanbul, Hong Kong, Shanghai (Rio & Mumbai). Founders Forum also has an innovation consultancy for top corporates (Founders Intelligence) and a recruitment company (Founders Keepers). It has also launched SmartUp.io, a new business in gamified mobile learning for entrepreneurs, which Brent co-founded and Chairs.
As a serial digital entrepreneur, Brent is also an angel investor in several internet companies including viagogo and wayn.com and moveme.com.
As a keynote speaker, his speaking topics include:
- Web 2.0
- Start-Ups
- Innovation
- Entrepreneurship
