Revision 535335474 of "Meyer Malka" on enwiki

{{format footnotes|date=December 2012}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Meyer Malka
| occupation   = [[serial entrepreneur]]{{br}}[[venture capitalist]]{{br}}[[angel investor]]
| employer = [[Managing Partner]], [[Ribbit Capital]]
| website      = {{URL|www.ribbitcap.com}}
| other_names = Micky Malka
}}
'''Meyer Malka Rais''' (also known as '''Micky Malka''') is a [[serial entrepreneur]], [[angel investor]], and [[venture capitalist]] who focuses on creating disruptive technology innovation in the financial services sector.  He is currently the CEO of [http://ribbitcap.com/ Ribbit Capital] and the Chairman of [http://lemon.com Lemon], a digital smart-wallet app.  Malka often speaks on panels and at forums on global entrepreneurship and technology investing – where he connects his personal story to his investment approach – and has done so at Harvard and Stanford.<ref name=Stanford>{{cite web|title=The Value of True Partnerships|url=http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=2746|work=eCorner|publisher=Stanford University|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref>

==Early years==

Malka<ref name=Malka>{{cite web|title=Executive Profile: Meyer Malka|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=943178&privcapId=54298960&previousCapId=23722101&previousTitle=Sonata%20Capital%20Group%20Inc|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> was born in England, grew up in Caracas, Venezuela.  There, he learned the impact of devaluation and hyperinflation at a very young age, and was motivated to use technology to bring innovation and growth to the financial services sector.

In 1992, when he was 18, Micky co-founded Heptagon Group,<ref name=CrunchBase>{{cite web|title=CrunchBase Profile: Meyer Malka|url=http://www.crunchbase.com/person/meyer-malka|publisher=CrunchBase|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> a securities and investment broker that serviced both the Venezuelan and U.S. markets.  In 1996, he graduated with a degree in economics from the [http://www.ucab.edu.ve/ Universidad Católica Andrés Bello] in Caracas, Venezuela.  In that same year, he was one of the founders of the Wendy’s Hamburger franchise in Venezuela, which opened more than 70 store locations in its first three years.

==Entrepreneurial career==

In 1998, recognizing the potential of the online market, Malka created the digital brokerage operation Patagon with [[Wences Casares]] – his long-term partner - and merged Heptagon’s local operations into it.  Patagon became Latin America’s first full-scale, Internet-based financial services portal.   After expanding beyond Venezuela to the rest of South America and the United States, Patagon was sold to Banco Santander (NYSE: STD) for $750 million.<ref name="Computer World">{{cite web|last=Carlos Perez|first=Juan|title=Santander Buys Stake in Patagon.com for $525M|url=http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/94614/santander_buys_stake_patagon_com_525m/|publisher=Computer World|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref>  As an outgrowth of this transaction, Malka was named interim CEO of Banco Patagon/Openbank, the online banking leader in Spain and Germany.

In 2002 Malka co-founded [[:pt:Lemon Bank|Banco Lemon]], a Brazilian retail bank that used the principles of microfinance to serve the under-banked.  It was the largest private microfinance institution in Brazil when it was acquired in 2009 by Banco do Brasil,<ref name=Bloomberg>{{cite web|last=Harper|first=Joy|title=Banco do Brasil Acquire Banco Lemon Correspondent Branch|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aToZqS4EYqYM|publisher=Bloomberg|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> Latin America’s largest bank.

In 2011 he co-founded Banco Bracce,<ref name="Bloomberg Businessweek2">{{cite web|title=Company Overview of Banco Bracce S.A.|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=131496312%20|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> a merchant bank for the fast-growing mid-cap market in Brazil, and Lemon, a smart wallet app that allows individuals to manage their wallet on any phone.

==Ribbit Capital==
Ribbit is a venture capital fund that Malka created and launched in 2012.  Malka has described the fund as “hyper-focused,” with a mission to “transform the static financial landscape." The firm has made investments in [http://www.capitalaccessnetwork.com/ Capital Access Network], a leader in lending to small businesses; borro, an online asset-based lender focusing on items of $1,000 to $1MM in value;<ref name="Business Wire">{{cite web|last=Timinsky|first=Katie|title=borro Secures $26M in Funding to Fuel Global Growth|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20121011005156/en/borro-Secures-26M-Funding-Fuel-Global-Growth|publisher=Business Wire|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> Fuze Networks,<ref name=TechCrunch1>{{cite web|last=Perez|first=Sarah|title=Fuze Network, A Payments Company Focused On The Under-Banked, Raises $2.5 Million Series A|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/27/fuze-network-a-payments-company-focused-on-serving-the-unbanked-under-banked-raises-2-5-million/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> a payment technology company that enables cash to be added to any credit card; and [http://www.contaazul.com ContaAzul], a cloud solution for business accounting in Brazil.

==Angel investments==

Malka is an angel investor in [[Mercadolibre|Mercado Libre]], Transferwise,<ref name=TechCrunch2>{{cite web|last=Lunden|first=Ingrid|title=TransferWise Raises $1.3M From Index, Others For The Next Disruption In Money Transfer: Crowdsourcing|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/17/transferwise-raises-1-3m-from-index-others-for-the-next-disruption-in-money-transfer-crowdsourcing/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> Oppa<ref name=TechCrunch3>{{cite web|last=Cutler|first=Kim-Mai|title=Peter Thiel Makes His First Brazilian Investment With Affordable Furniture Startup Oppa|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/02/oppa-valar/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> and Vivareal.<ref name=TechCrunch4>{{cite web|last=Rao|first=Leena|title=Real Estate Site VivaReal Raises Cash To Be The Zillow For Brazil|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/17/real-estate-site-vivareal-raises-cash-to-be-the-zillow-for-brazil/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref>

==Board positions==

Malka currently sits on the boards of [http://www.meckltd.com/Main.html Meck Investments], Wonga, [http://lemon.com Lemon], Peixe Urbano<ref name=TechCrunch5>{{cite web|title=Best International Startup: Peixe Urbano|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/31/best-international-startup-peixe-urbano/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=22 January 2013}}</ref> and [https://twitter.com/revistaclimax Climax Magazine].

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Persondata
| NAME              = Malka, Meyer
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Malka, Meyer}}
[[Category:Venture capital]]
[[Category:Venture capitalists]]
[[Category:Businesspeople]]