{"id":43124,"date":"2014-01-20T16:58:04","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T16:58:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/staging.startups.co.uk\/young-guns\/?p=43124"},"modified":"2021-03-30T10:43:05","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T09:43:05","slug":"blinkx-founder-suranga-chandratillake-joins-balderton-capital-general-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.startups.co.uk\/young-guns\/blinkx-founder-suranga-chandratillake-joins-balderton-capital-general-partner\/","title":{"rendered":"blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake joins Balderton Capital as general partner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leading European venture capital firm Balderton Capital today announced the appointment of blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake as a new general partner, marking a return to London for the successful entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

Balderton said that Chandratillake’s role at the firm will be to identify and lead early-stage investments in the online media and technology sectors.<\/p>\n

2006 Young Gun<\/a> Chandratillake will retain his directorship at blinkx, the online video search platform he founded in San Francisco and London in 2004, under the deal.<\/p>\n

Since launch blinkx has grown into one of the world’s leading content monetisation platforms; valued at £125m when listing on the London Stock Exchance in 2007, it is now one of a select handful of UK technology companies to be valued at over $1bn, with an estimated worth of $1.3bn (£855m).<\/p>\n

Chandratillake stepped back as chief executive in 2013, following a year in which the platform posted record profits of $17.7m, representing an eight-fold increase on the previous year.<\/p>\n

The 36-year-old entrepreneur will continue in his role as chief strategy officer, with responsibility for leading the overall direction of the company.<\/p>\n

Based in London, Balderton Capital manages more than $1.9bn of investments across Europe, principally in the tech and web-based businesses sector.<\/p>\n

Notable raised investments in the past include Betfair, LOVEFiLM and open-source database software MySQL, all of which achieved successful exits following investment.<\/p>\n

Commenting on his appointment, Suranga Chandratillake said: “Balderton is a natural fit for me. They are a smart, lean and driven team that makes high impact decisions and has the flexibility of thought and action that fast-growing technology companies need from their partners.<\/p>\n

“The firm also has a strong Silicon Valley heritage, complementing my own experience, and can bring the US mind set to European venture exceptionally well.”<\/p>\n

Bernard Liautaud, general partner at Balderton Capital, said: “As the architect of one of the UK’s most successful internet technology companies, Suranga will be a great addition to our team as well as an invaluable mentor to the companies in our portfolio. He understands what it takes to create global and long-lasting businesses and can draw from his own experiences to support the founders we back.<\/p>\n

“Suranga’s commitment to returning to London after a decade in Silicon Valley signals how closely he shares our confidence and enthusiasm to identify and back the next generation of European entrepreneurs.”<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leading European venture capital firm Balderton Capital today announced the appointment of blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake as a new general partner, marking a return to London for the successful entrepreneur. 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