Harald McPike
Harald McPike (born 1958) is a Bahamas-based Austrian billionaire, and a 36% owner of Starling Bank.[1]
He was born in Zürich, Switzerland in 1958.[2] He grew up in Austria, and in the 1980s, studied economics at the University of Vienna.[2]
McPike started his career as a blackjack player.[3][4] He is the founder of the Bahamas-based quantitative investment manager QuantRes.[5]
McPike has been to the North and South Poles, and wants to go into space.[6] In 2014, he paid a US$7 million deposit to Virginia company Space Adventures towards a lunar orbit for $150 million, and in 2019 after two years of litigation settled with the company.[6]
He is based in The Bahamas.[6] McPike owns the 164-feet hybrid yacht Home,[7] which is estimated to be worth $35 million.[8] He has lived aboard the yacht,[9] and listed it for sale in 2021.[10]
McPike is married to Joann McPike, the founder of Think Global School.[2] They have a son.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Makortoff, Kalyeena (19 June 2022). "The Covid loans, the billionaire … and Starling, the very fast-growing bank". The Observer. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Weeks, Ryan (9 March 2020). "Who is Harald McPike, the secretive investor behind Starling Bank?". Financial News. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Kalyeena Makortoff (18 June 2022). "The Covid loans, the billionaire … and Starling, the very fast-growing bank". theguardian.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ Ortenca Aliaj (3 October 2023). "Secretive billionaire Harald McPike sues over collapse of Spac deal". ft.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Charlie (13 February 2019). "Starling Bank raises £75m to fund international expansion". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ a b c Weiner, Rachel; Davenport, Christian (26 May 2019). "He wanted to fly around the moon. He ended up in court instead". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Jim Dobson (18 December 2021). "Billionaire Superyacht Showdown: Who's Who In St. Barths For New Years 2022". forbes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Explore the Eco-friendly Luxury Yacht HOME: A Heesen Masterpiece with Hybrid Propulsion". superyachtfan.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Otilia Drăgan (10 January 2022). "Controversial Billionaire Adventurer Parting With the Superyacht That Was His Actual Home". autoevolution.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Francesca Webster (8 September 2021). "Heesen's 50m hybrid superyacht Home is now for sale". superyachttimes.com. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ Andrew Laxon (28 September 2014). "Term one - India, term two - Spain: The school where students are continuously travelling the world". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 24 November 2024.