It looks like he won’t be retiring after all.
LeapRate has learned that Saxo Bank co-founder and longtime co-CEO Lars Seier Christensen has set up a new venture capital firm called, appropriately, Seier Capital. The Seier Capital website went live this week at www.seiercapital.com.
Lars Seier Christensen resigned from Saxo Bank’s Board of Management after 20 years late last year, although he remains a major shareholder in the company. Part of the succession plan has led to a major shakeup in management at Saxo over the past six months, with Danske Bank executive Soren Kyhl joining as COO, and Philip Wegloop heading over from Bang & Olufsen to revamp marketing and branding efforts at Saxo in the newly created position of CXO (Chief Experience Officer).
Seier Capital is based in Switzerland and has one investor – Mr. Christensen himself – and already boasts a number of portfolio companies in which he has invested over the past several years. Far from being a collection of retail forex or fintech firms, Seier Capital’s initial investments include companies ranging from a burger takeaway restaurant to a Danish hockey team to a number of online startups.
It looks like funding won’t be a problem. Seier Capital boasts €350 million of Mr. Christensen’s money as available capital.
Seier Capital has lined up a fairly impressive Advisory Board of individuals to help its portfolio companies, including ex Burger King and Smirnoff CEO Dennis Malamatinas, First Tuesday founder Julie Meyer, Tour de France winner turned entrepreneur Bjarne Riis, and Zecco Trading founder Soren Kenner.
So what is Seier Capital looking for? And why is Lars Seier Christensen calling this his ‘second youth’?
The following video interview with Mr. Christensen reveals all: