Eric Ries
Founder & Creator, The Lean Startup | Founder & Executive Chair, Long-Term Stock Exchange | NYT Bestselling Author of The Lean Startup, The Startup Way & Incorruptible
Brent Hoberman
Serial Tech Entrepreneur & Co-Founder of lastminute.com and made.com | Co-Founder & Chairman of Founders Factory & firstminute capital | CBE for Entrepreneurship
Brent Hoberman is one of Britain's most successful serial entrepreneurs and tech investors. He co-founded lastminute.com, which he took from dot-com startup to a $1.1 billion sale, and made.com, and now chairs Founders Factory, Founders Forum, and firstminute capital, and has backed nine unicorns at seed. Awarded a CBE for entrepreneurship, he gives audiences a rare insider's view of building, scaling, and investing in tech.
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Brent Hoberman biography
Entrepreneurship speaker Brent Hoberman is one of Britain’s most successful and enduring serial entrepreneurs, a founder, investor, and builder of businesses who has been at the center of European technology for more than twenty-five years. He first made his name co-founding lastminute.com during the dot-com boom, taking it public in an IPO forty-three times oversubscribed, steering it through the market crash, and ultimately selling it for 1.1 billion dollars. That arc, from frenzy to survival to a billion-dollar exit, underpins much of what he shares on stage.
Hoberman went on to co-found the online furniture retailer made.com, which reached a 1.1 billion dollar valuation, and to build three platforms dedicated to backing the next generation of founders. He is co-founder and executive chairman of Founders Factory, a venture studio and accelerator run with corporate partners including The Guardian and L’Oréal; Founders Forum, a global community of the world’s leading entrepreneurs and tech leaders; and firstminute capital, a seed fund backed by more than a hundred unicorn founders. Through it, he has personally backed nine companies that went on to become unicorns.
From Founder to Backer of Founders
Awarded a CBE for his services to entrepreneurship, Hoberman has advised four UK prime ministers on entrepreneurship and scale-up policy and co-chairs Enterprise Britain, giving him a rare ability to connect founder behavior, capital markets, and government policy. He sits on the advisory board of Google Cloud and the World Economic Forum’s Digital Europe Group, and his past board roles span The Guardian, The Economist, Shazam, and TalkTalk. Educated at Oxford, he is one of the most connected and influential figures in the global startup ecosystem.
As a speaker, Brent Hoberman is candid, sharp, and full of hard-won insight, offering the perspective of someone who has founded billion-dollar companies, survived a historic market crash, and backed dozens of the world’s most successful startups. He speaks on entrepreneurship and the founder mindset, scaling businesses and surviving downturns, venture capital and how to spot the next big thing, corporate innovation and working with startups, and the technology trends, from AI onward, reshaping every industry. Audiences leave with rare, practical insight from the very heart of the tech world.
Brent Hoberman Speaking Videos
Executive Interview: Founders Factory - Brent Hoberman - Phocuswright Europe 2019
Meet the Rising Stars of Founders Factory & First Minute Capital with Brent Hoberman | CogX 2019
Brent Hoberman Keynote Topics
Few people have built businesses at Brent Hoberman's level, or backed as many that reached the top. In this keynote he shares the mindset, habits, and hard lessons behind creating companies from scratch, from lastminute.com to made.com, including the obsessive focus, speed, and resilience it takes to turn an idea into a billion-dollar business. Candid and packed with real stories from the front line, it is an inspiring, practical talk for founders, leaders, and anyone with an entrepreneurial ambition.
Brent Hoberman took lastminute.com public just weeks before the dot-com market collapsed, and ran it through the crash to a billion-dollar exit. In this keynote he shares what he learned about scaling fast, then surviving when the market turns: how to manage risk and cash, keep teams motivated through crisis, and emerge stronger. Especially relevant in uncertain times, it offers battle-tested lessons for leaders navigating growth and volatility alike.
As the founder of firstminute capital and a backer of nine unicorns, Brent Hoberman has a rare eye for what makes a startup succeed. In this keynote he takes audiences inside the mind of a top investor: how he evaluates founders and ideas, spots emerging trends before they go mainstream, and thinks about the technologies, from AI onward, set to define the next decade. Invaluable insight for investors, corporates, and entrepreneurs seeking capital alike.
Through Founders Factory, Brent Hoberman helps some of the world's largest companies, from The Guardian to L'Oréal, innovate by partnering with startups. In this keynote he shares a practical, insider's view of how big organizations can actually get useful results from working with startups, adopt a more entrepreneurial culture, and avoid being disrupted. A must for corporate leaders serious about innovation in a fast-moving world.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Brent Hoberman
Why Brent Hoberman?
Booking Brent Hoberman brings audiences one of Britain's most successful and connected entrepreneurs, and a rare speaker who has excelled as both a founder and an investor. He built lastminute.com into a billion-dollar company, co-founded made.com, and now chairs three platforms, Founders Factory, Founders Forum, and firstminute capital, through which he backs the world's most promising startups, including nine that became unicorns. Candid and full of hard-won insight, he connects founder behavior, capital markets, and government policy in a way few can, and speaks with real authority on building, scaling, investing, and innovating. Awarded a CBE for entrepreneurship, he is ideal for events on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, investment, and business strategy. To bring Brent Hoberman to your next event, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
Who is Brent Hoberman?
Brent Hoberman CBE is a South African-born British entrepreneur and technology investor, widely regarded as one of the most successful figures in European tech. He co-founded lastminute.com with Martha Lane Fox in 1998, served as its CEO, took it public during the dot-com boom, and sold it to Sabre in 2005 for $1.1 billion. He later co-founded the online furniture retailer made.com, which reached a $1.1 billion valuation. Today he is co-founder and executive chairman of Founders Factory, Founders Forum, and firstminute capital, a seed fund through which he has backed nine unicorns. He was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to entrepreneurship, has advised four UK prime ministers on entrepreneurship policy, and sits on advisory boards including Google Cloud and the World Economic Forum. He was educated at Eton and Oxford.
What did Brent Hoberman build, and what is lastminute.com?
Brent Hoberman is best known for co-founding lastminute.com, one of the defining companies of the dot-com era. Launched in 1998 with Martha Lane Fox, it was a pioneering online travel and leisure booking site with the tagline "do something." Its March 2000 IPO was 43 times oversubscribed, one of the fastest company listings in European history, and Hoberman ran the business as CEO through the dot-com crash before selling it to Sabre in 2005 for $1.1 billion. He went on to co-found made.com, an online furniture retailer that reached a $1.1 billion valuation, and mydeco.com, before building his current platforms: Founders Factory (a venture studio and accelerator), Founders Forum (a global community of tech founders and leaders), and firstminute capital (an early-stage venture fund). Together, they have made him one of the most influential builders and backers in the global startup ecosystem.
What topics does entrepreneurship speaker Brent Hoberman cover?
Brent Hoberman speaks on entrepreneurship and the founder mindset, scaling businesses and surviving downturns, venture capital and spotting the next big thing, corporate innovation and working with startups, and the technology trends reshaping business. His keynotes suit events on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology, investment, and business strategy, for founders, corporate leaders, and investors. To book Brent Hoberman as a speaker, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Brent Hoberman as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Brent Hoberman as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Brent Hoberman's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Brent Hoberman or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Brent Hoberman speaking fee?
Brent Hoberman speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Brent Hoberman to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Brent Hoberman.
How can I contact Brent Hoberman?
We only work with Brent Hoberman on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Brent Hoberman and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Brent Hoberman speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Brent Hoberman for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Brent Hoberman for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Brent Hoberman is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Brent Hoberman for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
