Len Blavatnik

Sir Leonard "Len" Blavatnik is a prominent British-American businessman and philanthropist, best known as the founder and chairman of Access Industries, a privately held multinational industrial group he established in 1986. Born in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, in 1957, Blavatnik emigrated to the United States in 1978. He earned a master's degree in computer science from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989.

Under Blavatnik's leadership, Access Industries has built a diverse global portfolio with strategic holdings across various sectors, including natural resources and chemicals, media and telecommunications, venture capital, and real estate. His early fortune was significantly built through investments in privatized state-owned assets in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly in aluminum and oil, including a stake in the Russian oil company TNK-BP which he later sold for billions.

Blavatnik is widely recognized for his substantial investments in the entertainment industry. Access Industries notably acquired Warner Music Group in 2011, taking the company public in 2020 at a significantly increased valuation. The firm also owns DAZN Group, a global sports streaming platform that has expanded into other sports entertainment offerings, including gaming and betting.

His involvement in the gaming sector extends to direct investments. In April 2021, Blavatnik's Access Industries led a $78 million Series A funding round for Tripledot Studios, an Israeli-founded mobile gaming company known for titles like Solitaire, Woodoku, and Blackjack. This investment, made through Access Entertainment (the entertainment division of Access Industries), demonstrates a clear strategic interest in the gaming industry.

Beyond his business ventures, Blavatnik is an active philanthropist. Through the Blavatnik Family Foundation, he has donated over $1 billion to institutions focused on scientific research, higher education, and cultural preservation, including major endowments to Harvard Medical School and the University of Oxford's Blavatnik School of Government. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 for his services to philanthropy.