O. D. Kobo

Oded David "O. D." Kobo (Hebrew: קובו עודד) is a Hong Kong-born businessman in the technology sector.[2]

O.D. Kobo
Born
Oded David Kobo

August 30, 1975 [1]
Hong Kong
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, Israel [1]
Alma materLondon School of Economics (did not graduate)
SpouseEtos Ovadia
Children3
Parents

As of 2023, The Sunday Times Rich List estimates Kobo's net worth to be £225 million.[3]

Early life and education

Kobo was born in Hong Kong to a Jewish family, the son of Bebo and Ruth Kobo.[4][5][6] He attended the Hong Kong International School and then moved to United Kingdom where he attended Regents Business School London and later the London School of Economics for finance and business administration.[5][7]

Career

Kobo's business interests have ranged from technology to property to private equity with nearly US$1 billion in exits.[8]

Kobo started his career at the age of twenty-one by licensing patented technology to the online lottery industry with e-Lottery (once the domain holder of Lottery.com). He later established several China based investment firms namely KGIM and SinoSheen of which both were partnered with the Prime Minister of Qatar Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani. KGIM was acquired in 2010 for US$120 million by East River Capital (a subsidiary of the Qatar Investment Authority) and SinoSheen had invested in companies such as Tencent, Netease and Alibaba pre-IPO before it was too acquired in 2011 for US$52 million.[9]

In 2008, Kobo co-founded PIR Equities with childhood friend Joseph Aaron Horowitz, an employee owned private equity firm.[10][11] According to Globes, the firm raised US$980 million that year to pursue value based investments within the financial services, technology and real estate industries.[8]

In 2014, Camden Market Holdings the proprietor of landmark properties such as the Camden Market, Stables Market and Camden Lock Developments in Camden, London was acquired for $680 million by billionaire businessman Teddy Sagi of Playtech.[12] Kobo invested in Camden Market Holdings via PIR Equites and was a member of the board of directors alongside Bebo Kobo, Richard Caring and Chelsfield Partners.[13]

Also in 2014, Kobo sold Pheed - a mobile pay-per-view technology to Carlos Slim and American Movil for US$40 million.[14]

In 2015, Kobo established S Group, with business partners Roman Abramovich and Gee Roberson, the former Chairman of Geffen Records.[15][9][16] In 2016, it was reported first in the Huffington Post that two properties from their portfolio had been sold to a consortium of Chinese investors led by Ding Lei for US$32 million.[17][18][19][20] Kobo had invested $40 million in various technology projects in 2017 and in January 2018 it was reported to have been acquired and relocated to Hong Kong.[21][22]

Kobo had led several failed attempts to purchase MTV Networks from National Amusements in 2008, as well as an attempt to purchase Golan Telecom in Israel in 2016, which was highly criticized by the press and caused a public backlash resulting in Kobo withdrawing his IPO on the TASE.[23][24][25][26]

In August 2018, it was reported in the Financial Times that Kobo had led a $50 million investment in Bitcoin and Ethereum via PIR Equities.[27][28] On February 5, 2019, PIR Equities completed a US$312 million capital raise for its third flagship fund.[29][30] The firm's prior funds had net internal rates of return (IRR) — a key benchmark for investment returns — ranging from 24% to 33%.[29]

In March 2019, Kobo introduced Israel Infrastructure Partners (IIP), a private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments, with the launch of a $350 million debut fund, IIP I.[31][32][33] In June 2019, the firm, after changing its name to Israel Investment Partners, announced that it had raised the limit of the debut fund to $500 million.[34][35][36]

In November 2021, Entrepreneur Magazine listed Kobo at number 47 on their ‘Top 50 Richest People in Crypto’ with an estimated net worth of $200 million.[37][38][39] Kobo continues to invest in digital assets, with investments in Ethereum and various altcoins.[40]

Wealth

According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Kobo's net worth is estimated to be £75 million.[41] In November 2021, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Kobo amongst the world's top 50 richest in blockchain with an estimated net worth of $200 million.[38][42][43] As of 2023, The Sunday Times Rich List estimates Kobo's net worth to be £225 million.[44]

Personal life

In 2015, Kobo married long-time girlfriend fashion photographer Etos Ovadia; they have two children.[45][46]

References
  1. "O.D. Kobo | Profile". odkobo.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
  2. "Who is Oded Kobo? Natural-born businessman or celebrity sidekick". Haaretz.
  3. Watts, Robert (2023-07-31). "The Sunday Times Rich List 2023 revealed". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  4. "PIR Equities Team". PIR Equities. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  5. Sadeh, Shuki (10 June 2016). "Who Is Oded Kobo? Natural-born Businessman or Celebrity Sidekick". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  6. "Bebo Kobo - London, United Kingdom". About.me. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  7. "Executive Profile: Oded David Kobo". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  8. גאוני, יעל (14 December 2008). "איש העסקים עודד קובו גייס כמיליארד דולר להשקעות בתחום המדיה (Businessman Oded Kobo raised about US$1 billion for media investments)". Globes (in Hebrew). Bloomberg. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  9. "7 Months From Launch, Music Messenger Closes $30 Million Funding Round". 22 April 2017.
  10. "$650 Million Private Equity Group 'PIR Equities' Is Investing $50M In Blockchain". Financial Post.
  11. "PIR Equities Raises 275 Million Euros for Third Fund". www.globalbankingandfinance.com. 7 February 2019.
  12. Rochvarger, Michael (March 16, 2014). "Israeli Tycoon buys Camden". Haaretz.
  13. "Teddy Sagi buys London's Camden Stables Market at $664 Million". Jewish Business News. March 16, 2014.
  14. Pozin, Ilya (28 September 2014). "Launch To Exit In 18 Months: Pheed Acquired For $40M". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  15. "Abramovich leads $30m round in OD Kobo's music start-up - Globes English". Globes. 20 April 2015.
  16. "Music Messenger, the App That Nicki Minaj and David Guetta Invested In, Is Exploding -- Here's Why". Billboard.
  17. "Roman Abramovich, Oded Kobo's Shellanoo sell anonymous app BLINDSPOT and MrC app to Chinese for $32 Million". Jewish Business News. 27 September 2016.
  18. Kobo is one of the founders of Music Messenger an online music and audio distribution platform launched in 2014 partnered with Nicki Minaj, Will.I.Am, Avicii, Sebastian Ingross, Tiesto, Dave Holmes, Benny Andersson, and David Guetta. http://www.geektime.com/2015/04/20/israeli-startup-music-messenger-raises-30-million/
  19. "Chinese investors to buy Israeli app BlindSpot - Globes English". Globes. 26 September 2016.
  20. "Shellanoo Group Sells Israeli App BlindSpot To Chinese Investors". September 27, 2016.
  21. Shay, Shalev. "Oded Kobo and Roman Abramovich's Shellanoo cuts Israel ties". Globes.
  22. "Abramovich and Kobo, Shellanoo". Jewish Business News. January 3, 2018.
  23. פרץ, גד (26 May 2016). "רומן אברמוביץ' ועודד קובו מתעניינים בגולן טלקום - גלובס". Globes.
  24. גאוני, יעל (14 December 2008). "איש העסקים עודד קובו גייס כמיליארד דולר להשקעות בתחום המדיה - גלובס". Globes.
  25. "Roman Abramovich offers to buy Golan Telecom - report - Globes English". Globes. 29 May 2016.
  26. "OD Kobo's High-Profile @ShellanooGroup Incubator Abruptly Cancels Tel Aviv IPO | Mehl Partners". September 8, 2016.
  27. "$650 Million Private Equity Group 'PIR Equities' is Investing $50M in Blockchain". Financial Post.
  28. "Private Equity Co. Commits $50M to Blockchain Businesses - Law360".
  29. FinSMEs (9 February 2019). "PIR Equities Closes Third Fund, at €275M". FinSMEs. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  30. Didymus, Mike (8 February 2019). "PIR Equities races to €275m Fund III hard cap close on strong prior performance - AltAssets Private Equity News". altassets.net. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  31. "Israel Infrastructure Partners unveils $350m debut fundraise". AltAssets. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  32. "Israel Infrastructure Partners (IIP): $350 Million Debut Fund". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  33. MarketScreener. "Israel Infrastructure Partners (IIP): $350 Million Debut Fund". www.marketscreener.com. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  34. "Israel Investment Partners Launches $500M Debut Fund". FinSMEs. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  35. Orbach, Meir; Ravet, Hagar (4 June 2019). "Israel Investment Partners Raises Debut Fund Cap to $500 Million". Calcalist. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  36. "IIP closing $500m Israeli private equity fund". Globes. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  37. "The 50 Richest People in Crypto". MSN.
  38. "The 50 Richest People in Crypto".
  39. "The 50 Richest People in Crypto".
  40. "Blockchain investor O.D. Kobo moves $61 million worth of Ethereum". 6 December 2021.
  41. "Rich List 2019". The Sunday Times. 2019-05-12. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  42. "The 50 Richest People in Crypto". 29 November 2021.
  43. "The 50 Richest People in Crypto - BST Crypt". 30 November 2021.
  44. Watts, Robert (2023-07-31). "The Sunday Times Rich List 2023 revealed". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  45. "אתי עובדיה ועודד קובו התחתנו". mako (in Hebrew). 10 November 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  46. "אנחנו לא מעכלים: מירי בוהדנה הפכה לסבתא". mako (in Hebrew). 26 June 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
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