Xavier Niel
French telecoms entrepreneur behind Free and the Station F start-up campus
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- 59 yrs
- Birthday in 293 days
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Xavier Niel is a French billionaire entrepreneur who founded the telecoms group Iliad, whose Free brand shook up French internet and mobile prices. He created the coding school École 42 and Station F, one of the world’s largest start-up campuses, and is a co-owner of Le Monde.
Biography
Education and start-ups
He founded École 42 (2013), a free, teacher-less coding school, and opened Station F in Paris in 2017.
Minitel
Niel taught himself programming and made his first fortune in the 1980s with Minitel chat services.
Free
He founded Iliad and its internet provider Free. In 2002 the Freebox offered internet, phone and TV for €29.99 a month, and in 2012 Free Mobile slashed French mobile prices.
Investments
Through his fund Kima Ventures he has backed hundreds of start-ups, including Mistral AI. He co-owns Le Monde and is the largest shareholder of Vodafone.
Timeline
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1967
Born in Maisons-Alfort, France
-
1990
Founds Iliad
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1999
Free internet launched
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2002
Freebox
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2010
Co-acquires Le Monde
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2012
Free Mobile
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2013
École 42
-
2017
Station F opens
Did you know?
-
1
École 42 has no teachers or tuition fees.
-
2
Station F is housed in a former railway depot.
-
3
He is one of France’s richest people.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Xavier Niel?
Xavier Niel is a French billionaire entrepreneur who founded the telecoms group Iliad, whose Free brand shook up French internet and mobile prices. He created the coding school École 42 and Station F, one of the world’s largest start-up campuses, and is a co-owner of Le Monde.
How old is Xavier Niel?
Xavier Niel is 59 years old, born on 25 August 1967 in Maisons-Alfort, France.
Where is Xavier Niel from?
Xavier Niel was born in Maisons-Alfort, France.
What is Xavier Niel known for?
Xavier Niel is best known for Founding Iliad and Free; the Freebox; Station F; École 42; investor in Mistral AI.
References
- Xavier Niel — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Xavier Niel (Q1450891) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Xavier Niel”, 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
“Xavier Niel.” TrackFame, last updated 4 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/xavier-niel
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