Early Life
Sven Hans Martin Lorentzon was born on April 1, 1969, in Åsenhöga, Småland, Sweden. Growing up in Borås, he showed an early entrepreneurial spirit. He attended Särlaskolan primary school and Sven Eriksonsgymnasiet for high school. Lorentzon displayed a strong interest in business from a young age, aspiring to become a billionaire. He later earned a Master of Science in Engineering and Industrial Economics from Chalmers University of Technology.
Rise to Success
Lorentzon began his career with an internship at Telia in 1995. He then moved to San Francisco and worked at AltaVista. In 1999, he co-founded Tradedoubler, a digital marketing company. He sold his Tradedoubler shares for $70 million in 2005. In 2006, he co-founded Spotify with Daniel Ek. Lorentzon served as the CEO of Spotify from 2006 to 2013 and then as Chairman of the board until 2016.
Key Business Strategies
Lorentzon's success stems from his ability to identify market opportunities and his willingness to invest his own capital. He played a crucial role in developing Spotify's goals, strategy, and financial aspects. He was instrumental in the development of Spotify's free, ad-supported tier, as well as its premium subscription service, which led to the platform's widespread adoption and revenue generation. His leadership helped Spotify become the leading music streaming service globally. In 2018, Spotify went public through a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
Philanthropy
Lorentzon has been involved in inspiring young entrepreneurs and promoting education. He joined Prince Daniel's Fellowship Project in 2013, visiting schools and universities to encourage entrepreneurship. He also became an expert on immigrant integration issues for the Moderate Party commission New Swedish Model in 2019.
