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Marcelo Claure

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Raul Marcelo Claure Bedoya
Born (1970-12-09) December 9, 1970 (age 55)
La Paz, Bolivia
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, businessman, investor
Known forFounder and CEO of Claure Group; Executive Chairman at Bicycle Capital; Group Vice Chairman for Shein; former CEO of Brightstar and Sprint; former CEO SoftBank Group International; chairman and co-owner of Girona FC; owner of Club Bolivar

Raul Marcelo Claure Bedoya is a Bolivian-American entrepreneur specializing in technology, as well as a prominent businessman and investor. He serves as the founder and CEO of Claure Group, holds the position of Executive Chairman at Bicycle Capital, and acts as Group Vice Chairman for Shein.

In 1997, Claure established Brightstar, a wireless services company that became the largest Hispanic-owned enterprise in the United States for six consecutive years. He sold Brightstar in 2014 to join Sprint, where he was President and CEO until 2018, then continued as executive chairman through 2020. Recognized for spearheading Sprint’s recovery, he managed the company’s proposed merger with T-Mobile USA and currently serves on the board of the merged entity.

Between 2020 and early 2022, Claure held the roles of CEO at SoftBank Group International and COO at SoftBank Group Corporation. Working alongside CEO Masayoshi Son, he oversaw SoftBank’s portfolio companies such as Boston Dynamics, Arm Holdings, Fortress Investment Group, SB Energy, and WeWork. As a member of the Investment Committee, he led the $5 billion SoftBank Latin America Fund and directed the $100 million SB Opportunity Fund aimed at supporting entrepreneurs of color. Additionally, he was executive chairman of WeWork and served on the boards of Arm and Fortress.

Maintaining his leadership at Claure Group, he launched Bicycle Capital in June 2023, a venture capital fund focused on Latin America with a target of $500 million. In February 2023, Claure was named chair of Shein’s Latin American division and was elevated to Shein’s Group Vice Chairman by October 2023. He owns the football club Club Bolivar and has been chairman and co-owner of Girona FC since August 2020.

In terms of philanthropy, Claure played a key role in initiating One Laptop Per Child during his time at Brightstar and founded the 1Million Project Foundation while at Sprint—both initiatives aimed at expanding technology access for students. Bloomberg estimated his net worth at US$2 billion as of August 2022, ranking him as Bolivia’s richest individual.

Early life and education

Raúl Marcelo Claure was born on December 9, 1970, in La Paz City, Bolivia. His childhood involved living in Morocco and the Dominican Republic due to his father’s work as a geologist for the United Nations diplomatic service before settling primarily in La Paz. He attended Instituto Domingo Savio followed by graduation from the American Cooperative School of La Paz in 1989. That same year, he relocated to the United States to study at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, later transferring to Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and finance in 1993. Claure has been awarded honorary doctorates from both Bentley University and Babson College (2022), and is recognized as a fellow at Harvard Business School.

Business career

Following graduation, Claure returned to La Paz to oversee operations at the Bolivian Football Federation. In 1995, he moved back to the United States and acquired USA Wireless, a cellular retail business which he expanded before selling within a year. In 1996, Claure assumed the presidency of Small World Communications, a communications and distribution company based in California, leading it for two years before relocating to Miami, Florida.

Brightstar CEO

Claure established Brightstar in Miami in October 1997, initially concentrating the wireless distribution and service enterprise on the Latin American market.[1] Serving as CEO,[2] he guided the company’s expansion throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2001, Brightstar obtained a distribution contract with Motorola covering all of Latin America, which was later extended to a global scale in 2007,[1] with Claure retaining ownership.[3]

Sprint CEO and executive chairman

Claure became a member of the Sprint Corporation board in January 2014.[4] On August 5, 2014, he was appointed CEO, succeeding Dan Hesse, with the announcement coinciding symbolically with Bolivia’s independence day.[5][6] He officially assumed the roles of President and CEO of Sprint on August 11, 2014.[4] As reported by Bloomberg, Claure "orchestrated a turnaround" for Sprint, which had been experiencing annual losses of $3.3 billion.[7] He introduced cost reductions and strategies to increase customer acquisition, leading to a significant rise in stock value by August 2015.[3] Under his direction, Sprint reversed its subscriber decline by adding over two million customers, posted its strongest financial performance to date, and achieved net profitability for the first time in eleven years.[8]

In June 2017, Claure joined SoftBank Group’s board,[2] and on May 2, 2018, he was named Sprint’s executive chairman.[1] After stepping down as CEO in favor of Michel Combes,[4] Claure concentrated on obtaining regulatory clearance from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for the Sprint and T-Mobile merger.[1] Following the completion of this merger in April 2020, Claure became a member of T-Mobile’s Board of Directors.[9] In June 2020, he led SoftBank’s secondary offering of T-Mobile US shares valued at $14.8 billion, marking the second largest such transaction in U.S. history.[10]

SoftBank Group International CEO and SoftBank Group COO

On May 2, 2018, Claure was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SoftBank Group as well as CEO of SoftBank Group International and SoftBank Latin America. Bloomberg characterized these appointments as recognition for "rescuing a faltering Sprint," with Claure continuing to oversee the integration plans for Sprint and T-Mobile. Working alongside SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, Claure took part in directing the company’s overarching business strategy. His COO responsibilities included oversight of operating entities such as Boston Dynamics, Arm Holdings, Sprint, Fortress, Brightstar, SB Energy, and WeWork.

In March 2019, Claure assumed leadership as CEO of the $5 billion SoftBank Latin America Fund—the largest technology investment fund dedicated solely to Latin America. Additionally, he leads the SB Opportunity Fund, a $100 million initiative launched in 2020 aimed at supporting entrepreneurs of color. In November 2020, Claure and three other executives resigned from the SoftBank Group board to enhance perceptions regarding board independence, as stated by Son.

In January 2021, Claure-backed SPAC LDH Growth sought to raise $200 million through an initial public offering (IPO), with Claure designated as CEO. Concurrently, he initiated the SoftBank Miami Initiative—a $100 million fund designed to support startups either based in or relocating to Miami.

WeWork executive chairman

In October 2019, Claure took on the role of executive chairman at WeWork, a company specializing in shared office spaces. He collaborated closely with Sandeep Mathrani, whom he appointed as CEO in February 2020. By March 2021, WeWork revealed its intention to become publicly traded through a SPAC merger with BowX Acquisition Corp. In March 2022, Mathrani succeeded Claure as executive chairman.

Claure Group and Bicycle Capital

As of 2023, Claure serves as the founder and CEO of Claure Group. In February 2023, he assumed the position of chair for Shein’s Latin American operations, the Singapore-based fast-fashion giant, where he is responsible for strategic planning and managing stakeholder relations while establishing an advisory board to enhance regional expertise. Later, in October 2023, he was elevated to Group Vice Chairman at Shein, spearheading the company’s international expansion efforts.

In January 2023, Claure Group formed a partnership with Apollo Global Management and entered negotiations to acquire Luxembourg-based telecommunications firm Millicom. However, this bid was withdrawn in June 2023 after French billionaire Xavier Niel acquired a 22% stake in the company.

Also in June 2023, Claure co-established Bicycle Capital, an equity fund aiming to raise $500 million dedicated to investing in technology startups across Latin America. He holds the titles of Executive Chairman and Managing Partner, leading the initial capital-raising activities.

Club Bolivar

Claure founded Bolivar Administración, Inversiones y Servicios Asociados, S.R.L. (BAISA) in 2008, an ownership entity granted operational rights of Club Bolivar for two decades. Club Bolivar stands as Bolivia’s most popular football team and ranks among the nation’s top five most successful clubs. Under Claure’s guidance, the team advanced to the semi-finals of the 2014 Copa Libertadores. In 2021, during his presidency, Club Bolivar became City Football Group’s inaugural Partner Club. That same year, Claure unveiled Plan Centenario—a $50 million project spanning five years aimed at developing a soccer academy and introducing fan ownership opportunities.

Inter Miami CF

In 2012, Claure joined forces with David Beckham and Simon Fuller to create Miami Beckham United (MBU), with the goal of securing a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami. On January 29, 2018, MLS awarded MBU its 25th franchise spot, which was later branded as Inter Miami CF. The club planned to launch in 2020 with a new stadium seating 25,000 near Miami International Airport. On September 17, 2021, Beckham and the Mas brothers acquired Claure’s and Son’s shares; simultaneously, Ares Management became part of the ownership group.

Girona FC

In August 2020, Claure invested in Girona FC, a Spanish football club, collaborating with City Football Group to support the team’s development and joining its board of directors.

New York City FC

On September 17, 2024, City Football Group announced that Claure had purchased a 10% ownership stake in their MLS franchise New York City FC, which includes plans for a new stadium located in Queens, New York City. Claure expressed his enthusiasm about joining “the greatest city in the world” and contributing to the growth of soccer there.

Boards and committees

Claure holds a position on the T-Mobile USA board and acts as chairman of Bicycle Capital. Additionally, he is a member of the Girona FC board.

He served as executive chairman at WeWork until early 2022 and was part of Univision Holdings' board from November 2020 until his departure in 2023. Claure joined the board of Arm Limited in 2018, resigning in 2022. In 2019, he took on the chairmanship roles at Fortress and Brightstar Global Group Inc., stepping down from Fortress by 2023. He also contributes to the Bolivian-American Chamber of Commerce board and previously served on Florida International University's board. Claure is recognized as a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and participates in the Aspen Global Leadership Network, the Group of Fifty, and the Presidential CEO Advisory Board at MIT.

Philanthropy

In 2008, Claure alongside Brightstar supported Nicholas Negroponte in establishing One Laptop Per Child, an initiative aimed at providing durable, affordable laptops to children in underserved communities. By 2019, this program had distributed 2.5 million devices across 60 nations. In 2016, Claure co-founded the 1Million Project Foundation with Sprint Corporation to offer free internet connectivity and computers to underprivileged students in the United States. After the merger with T-Mobile, this program was expanded to reach ten million students and rebranded as Project 10Million.

Awards and recognition

Claure has been honored with multiple accolades throughout his career, including being designated a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and receiving Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. He holds lifetime membership in Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame. Furthermore, he serves on the CEO Council for the Wall Street Journal and was acknowledged by Carnegie Corporation’s Great Immigrants: The Pride of America initiative in 2016.

Personal life

Residing in New York City, Claure lives with his wife Jordan Engard, whom he married in 2005, along with their four daughters. He also has a son and daughter from a previous marriage.

See also

External links

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