Niklas Zennström
Swedish co-founder of Skype and Kazaa and founder of Atomico
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- 60 yrs
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Niklas Zennström is a Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded the file-sharing service Kazaa and the internet calling service Skype with Janus Friis. Skype was sold to eBay in 2005 and later to Microsoft. He founded the London venture firm Atomico.
Biography
Background
Zennström studied business and engineering at Uppsala University and worked at the telecoms company Tele2, where he met Janus Friis.
Kazaa
In 2001 they launched Kazaa, a peer-to-peer file-sharing service that faced lawsuits from the music industry.
Skype
Using similar peer-to-peer technology, they launched Skype in 2003, offering free voice calls over the internet. eBay bought it in 2005 for $2.6 billion.
Atomico
He founded Atomico in 2006, which invests in European tech companies such as Klarna and Supercell. He is also a keen sailor.
Timeline
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1966
Born in Järfälla, Sweden
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2001
Co-founds Kazaa
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2003
Launches Skype
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2005
eBay buys Skype
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2006
Founds Atomico
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2007
Joost video service
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2011
Microsoft buys Skype
Did you know?
-
1
Microsoft shut down Skype in 2025, moving users to Teams.
-
2
He has won sailing world championships.
-
3
Atomico publishes an annual State of European Tech report.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Niklas Zennström?
Niklas Zennström is a Swedish entrepreneur who co-founded the file-sharing service Kazaa and the internet calling service Skype with Janus Friis. Skype was sold to eBay in 2005 and later to Microsoft. He founded the London venture firm Atomico.
How old is Niklas Zennström?
Niklas Zennström is 60 years old, born on 16 February 1966 in Järfälla, Sweden.
Where is Niklas Zennström from?
Niklas Zennström was born in Järfälla, Sweden.
What is Niklas Zennström known for?
Niklas Zennström is best known for Co-founding Kazaa (2001) and Skype (2003); founding Atomico (2006).
References
- Niklas Zennström — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Niklas Zennström — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Niklas Zennström (Q92634) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Niklas Zennström”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Niklas Zennström.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/niklas-zennstrom
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