# Saul Klein
Saul Klein is a venture capital investor, co-founder, and Managing Partner of Phoenix Court, the London firm home to the seed fund [LocalGlobe](https://www.edgepedia.org/localglobe) and its growth-stage sister fund Latitude, which he launched with his father [Robin Klein](https://www.edgepedia.org/robin-klein).[1](https://www.phoenixcourt.vc/phoenix-court-team/saul-klein) • [2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/) He is known for backing European technology companies from seed stage, including [Improbable](https://www.edgepedia.org/improbable), Melio, Figma, and Graphcore, and for a career that spans founding startups (LoveFilm, Seedcamp, Kano, Zinc, Platoon), eight years as a general partner at Index Ventures, and the original executive team at Skype.[4](https://www.techaviv.com/people/saul-klein) • [2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/) • [3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current role | Co-founder and Managing Partner, Phoenix Court (LocalGlobe, Latitude, Solar, Basecamp)[1](https://www.phoenixcourt.vc/phoenix-court-team/saul-klein) |
| Earlier roles | General Partner at Index Ventures, 2007 to May 2015; original executive team at Skype[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) • [2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/) |
| Entrepreneurship | Co-founder and original CEO of LOVEFiLM (acquired by Amazon, 2011); co-founder of Seedcamp, Kano, Zinc, and Platoon (acquired by Apple, 2018)[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) |
| Notable investments | Improbable, Melio, Figma, Graphcore, TransferWise, Zoopla[2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/) • [4](https://www.techaviv.com/people/saul-klein) |
| Public roles | Non-Executive Director, DSIT (April 2023); Council for Science and Technology; Digital Economy Council; OBE 2016[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) |
## Career before LocalGlobe
Klein's path runs through operating roles before investing. He co-founded and was the original CEO of LOVEFiLM, the DVD rental and streaming company Amazon acquired in 2011, and earlier sold a startup to Microsoft in 1997, after which he created Microsoft's Chief Privacy Officer role, whose first holder was Richard Purcell; he was also on the original leadership team at Skype.[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) • [4](https://www.techaviv.com/people/saul-klein) • [6](https://tmt.knect365.com/london-tech-week-22/speakers/saul-klein-1/) As an investor and founder, he co-founded Seedcamp, an early-stage program whose seed investments include UiPath and Revolut, the coding company Kano, Zinc (co-founded with the [London School of Economics](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-school-of-economics)) and Platoon, acquired by Apple in 2018.[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) Between 2007 and May 2015 he was a General Partner at [Index Ventures](https://www.edgepedia.org/index-ventures), the pan-European firm where he built his venture track record.[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) • [2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/)
## LocalGlobe, Latitude and Phoenix Court
After leaving Index, Klein founded LocalGlobe with his father Robin Klein; in 2019 he co-founded Latitude Ventures as a later-stage sister fund.[2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/) • [4](https://www.techaviv.com/people/saul-klein) The firm is now organized as Phoenix Court, which runs four funds, LocalGlobe, Latitude, Solar, and Basecamp, covering pre-seed through public markets.[1](https://www.phoenixcourt.vc/phoenix-court-team/saul-klein) • [5](https://www.briefthecall.com/brief/saul-klein) By 2021 the two flagship funds had produced eight IPOs from portfolio companies, many of them from within a four-hour train ride of Klein's London office, a swathe of the UK, France, and the Netherlands he calls the "new Palo Alto."[2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/)
## Notable investments and exits
LocalGlobe's early-stage portfolio includes Improbable (valued at $2 billion at the time of one profile), Citymapper, Graze, Moo, Secret Escapes, Tessian, TransferWise (valued at $3.5 billion), and Zoopla (acquired for about $3 billion).[4](https://www.techaviv.com/people/saul-klein) Klein's personal portfolio also includes Melio, a payments startup that raised $250 million in September 2021, the software design company Figma (a decacorn), and the British semiconductor company [Graphcore](https://www.edgepedia.org/graphcore).[2](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/)
More recent outcomes, per a single specialist briefing, include the firm's first carried interest distributions from its institutional platform in Q4 2025, following the exits of Faculty (to [Accenture](https://www.edgepedia.org/accenture)) and Melio (to Xero); Nyobolt reaching a $1 billion valuation in May 2026 after Phoenix Court participated in its Series C; and Human Native AI's acquisition by [Cloudflare](https://www.edgepedia.org/cloudflare) in January 2026.[5](https://www.briefthecall.com/brief/saul-klein)
## Public positions and recognition
In 2012, then-Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Klein the UK's first Technology Business Ambassador to Israel, and in 2016 he received an OBE for services to business.[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) • [1](https://www.phoenixcourt.vc/phoenix-court-team/saul-klein) He sits on the Council for Science and Technology, which advises the Prime Minister, and on the government's Digital Economy Council, and was appointed a Non-Executive Director at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in April 2023.[3](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein) He also co-founded the Newton Venture Program with [London Business School](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-business-school) in 2020.[5](https://www.briefthecall.com/brief/saul-klein)
## Recent developments
Reporting on the 2025–2026 period describes a shared-ownership restructuring at Phoenix Court in which Phoenix Court Works became the single largest shareholder and all full-time employees received equity, profit share, and carry; Phoenix Court Works directs 10% of profits and 2% of fund carry to community organizations, with 80% of its impact delivered within one mile of its [Somers Town](https://www.edgepedia.org/somers-town) office.[5](https://www.briefthecall.com/brief/saul-klein) The same account reports four senior partner departures during the transition, including General Partner Suzanne Ashman, who left in 2025 to lead the UK government's [Sovereign AI](https://www.edgepedia.org/sovereign-ai) fund.[5](https://www.briefthecall.com/brief/saul-klein) These figures come from one specialist source and are not independently verified here.
## References
1. [Saul Klein — Phoenix Court team page](https://www.phoenixcourt.vc/phoenix-court-team/saul-klein)
2. [Saul Klein — Forbes Midas List profile](https://www.forbes.com/profile/saul-klein/)
3. [Saul Klein OBE — GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/people/saul-klein)
4. [Saul Klein — TechAviv](https://www.techaviv.com/people/saul-klein)
5. [Saul Klein · Brief (The Call)](https://www.briefthecall.com/brief/saul-klein)
6. [tmt.knect365.com](https://tmt.knect365.com/london-tech-week-22/speakers/saul-klein-1/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Economics and business › Founders, operators, and investors › Venture and growth investors › European venture › UK and Ireland investors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license