Marcelo Claure

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Raul Marcelo Claure Bedoya (born December 9, 1970) is a Bolivian-American billionaire entrepreneur, investor, and telecommunications executive. He is the founder and CEO of Claure Group, co-chairman of Brightstar Capital Partners, and Vice Chairman of Chinese fashion retailer Shein.

Claure built his fortune through Brightstar Corporation, the wireless services company he founded in 1997 that became the largest Hispanic-owned business in the United States for six consecutive years. After selling Brightstar in 2014, he served as President and CEO of Sprint Corporation from 2014 to 2018, overseeing the struggling carrier's merger with T-Mobile. He subsequently served as Chief Operating Officer of SoftBank Group and CEO of SoftBank Group International, where he launched the $8 billion SoftBank Latin America Fund - the largest technology fund ever created for the region.

As of 2022, Claure's net worth is estimated at approximately $2 billion, making him Bolivia's wealthiest person. Beyond business, he is known for his sports investments, including ownership of Club Bolivar in Bolivia and co-ownership of Girona FC in Spain, and for co-founding Inter Miami CF with David Beckham.

Early life

Raul Marcelo Claure Bedoya was born on December 9, 1970, in La Paz, Bolivia, to a family with an international outlook. His father worked as a geologist for the United Nations, a career that required frequent relocations and exposed young Marcelo to diverse cultures from an early age.

Due to his father's diplomatic assignments, Claure spent portions of his childhood in Morocco and the Dominican Republic before the family returned to La Paz, where he spent most of his formative years. This multicultural upbringing gave him fluency in multiple languages and an ability to navigate different business environments - skills that would prove valuable in his later career as an international entrepreneur.

In 1989, Claure graduated from the American Cooperative School in La Paz, an English-language international school that prepared him for higher education in the United States.

Education

Following his graduation from high school in Bolivia, Claure moved to the United States to pursue higher education. He initially enrolled at the University of Lowell (now the University of Massachusetts Lowell) before transferring to Bentley College (now Bentley University) in Waltham, Massachusetts.

At Bentley, Claure pursued studies in economics and finance, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 1993. The combination of analytical training in economics and practical financial skills prepared him for entrepreneurship in the technology sector.

Career

Brightstar Corporation (1997-2014)

In 1997, at age 26, Claure founded Brightstar Corporation in Miami, Florida. The company began as a wireless phone distributor, capitalizing on the explosive growth of the cellular phone industry in Latin America and the United States.

Under Claure's leadership, Brightstar grew rapidly to become one of the largest wireless services companies in the world. The company handled device distribution, supply chain services, and trade-in programs for major carriers and manufacturers. At its peak, Brightstar generated over $10 billion in annual revenue and operated in more than 50 countries.

For six consecutive years, Brightstar ranked as the largest Hispanic-owned business in the United States according to Hispanic Business magazine - a remarkable achievement that established Claure as one of the most successful Latino entrepreneurs in American history.

In 2014, Japanese telecommunications giant SoftBank acquired a majority stake in Brightstar, with Claure reportedly receiving approximately $600 million for his shares. The transaction marked the beginning of his close relationship with SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.

Sprint Corporation (2014-2020)

In August 2014, following SoftBank's investment in Brightstar, Claure was recruited to lead Sprint Corporation as President and CEO. SoftBank had acquired Sprint in 2013, and the carrier was struggling with network quality issues, customer losses, and intense competition from Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

Claure implemented an aggressive turnaround strategy that included:

Aggressive pricing campaigns to win back customers
Network infrastructure investments to improve quality
Cost reduction initiatives to stabilize finances
Renewed focus on customer service

His tenure at Sprint was marked by both progress and setbacks. While he stabilized the company's customer base and improved its competitive position, Sprint continued to struggle against larger rivals. Claure became executive chairman in 2018 as the company pursued a merger with T-Mobile.

T-Mobile/Sprint merger

The merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, which Claure championed, faced significant regulatory scrutiny. The Department of Justice initially had concerns about reducing the number of major U.S. Carriers from four to three. Thirteen state attorneys general, led by New York and California, filed a lawsuit to block the deal on antitrust grounds.

Ultimately, the merger was approved in 2019 with conditions requiring the creation of a new competitor (Dish Network) to preserve competition. The combined company retained the T-Mobile name, and Claure transitioned out of operational roles.

SoftBank Group (2017-2022)

While still at Sprint, Claure took on expanding roles at SoftBank. In 2017, he became a member of the SoftBank Group board. By 2020, he had risen to become Chief Operating Officer of SoftBank Group Corporation and CEO of SoftBank Group International.

WeWork rescue

In October 2019, Claure was dispatched by Masayoshi Son to stabilize WeWork after the office-sharing company's spectacular implosion. WeWork, once valued at $47 billion, had been forced to cancel its IPO amid revelations about founder Adam Neumann's erratic behavior and the company's massive losses.

Claure served as executive chairman of WeWork, overseeing a dramatic retrenchment that included:

Removal of Adam Neumann from leadership
Massive cost reductions and layoffs
Shrinking the company's real estate footprint
Restructuring the business for eventual public listing

WeWork eventually went public via SPAC in late 2021, though the company continued to struggle and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2023. Claure has expressed frustration that his public image became associated with WeWork's failures, despite his role as the person brought in to fix the company's problems.

SoftBank Latin America Fund

Perhaps Claure's most significant achievement at SoftBank was launching the SoftBank Latin America Fund in 2019. With $8 billion in committed capital, it became the largest technology fund ever created for the region.

The fund invested in Latin American startups across fintech, e-commerce, healthcare, and logistics, helping accelerate the region's digital transformation. Investments included major stakes in companies like Rappi (Colombia), Kavak (Mexico), and various Brazilian fintech startups.

Departure from SoftBank

In January 2022, SoftBank announced that Claure was leaving the company after a reported dispute with Masayoshi Son over compensation. According to reports, Claure believed he deserved approximately $2 billion in compensation for his work turning around WeWork and orchestrating the Sprint/T-Mobile merger. Son was reportedly willing to pay a substantially smaller amount.

The departure highlighted tensions that had been building for months. Claure had previously clashed with Vision Fund CEO Rajeev Misra and had been frustrated by what he viewed as insufficient recognition of his contributions to SoftBank's portfolio companies.

Post-SoftBank ventures (2022-present)

Following his departure from SoftBank, Claure launched Claure Group, a family office and investment vehicle focused on technology, sports, and entertainment investments. He also became co-chairman of Brightstar Capital Partners, returning to the company he had founded decades earlier.

In 2024, Claure joined Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein as Group Vice Chairman, using his experience in global distribution and emerging markets to help the company expand internationally.

Sports investments

Club Bolivar

Claure has owned Club Bolivar, one of Bolivia's most successful football clubs based in La Paz, since 2008. Under his ownership, the club has won multiple Bolivian championships and competed in the Copa Libertadores.

Inter Miami CF

In 2014, Claure partnered with David Beckham, Jorge Mas, and Jose Mas to found Inter Miami CF, a Major League Soccer expansion team. The club began play in 2020 and gained international prominence in 2023 when it signed global superstar Lionel Messi.

Claure played a key role in the club's formation and early financing, though he has maintained a lower public profile than co-owner Beckham.

Girona FC

In August 2020, Claure became chairman and co-owner of Girona FC, a Spanish football club in Catalonia. The investment reflected his passion for football and his strategy of building a portfolio of sports assets across multiple continents.

Personal life

First marriage

Claure's first marriage was to Patricia Lara Claure. Details about their relationship are limited, but they divorced in 2004. The marriage produced two children: a son, Nico Claure, and a daughter, Paulina Claure.

Marriage to Jordan Engard

Claure began dating Jordan Engard in the early 2000s while still separated from his first wife. They married on December 10, 2005, and have since built a large blended family together.

Jordan is described as athletic and philanthropic. She regularly participates in marathons with her husband and, in a particularly moving act of devotion, donated a kidney to her father on June 1, 2016, to extend his life. Claure publicly praised his wife for the sacrifice, calling her his "idol."

Children

Together, Marcelo and Jordan have four daughters:

Siena Claure (born 2008)
Bela Marta Claure
Savannah Celeste Claure (born April 10, 2015)
Mia Claure (youngest)

Combined with his two children from his first marriage (Nico and Paulina), Claure has six children in total. The family of eight travels frequently and maintains homes in New York City, Mission Hills (Kansas), and Miami.

Residences

Claure's primary residence is in New York City. The family also maintains homes in Mission Hills (a Kansas City suburb near Sprint's former headquarters) and Miami (near Brightstar's headquarters and Inter Miami).

Philanthropy

Claure has been involved in various philanthropic initiatives throughout his career:

One Laptop Per Child: During his time at Brightstar, Claure helped launch this initiative to provide computer access to children in developing countries
1Million Project Foundation: As CEO of Sprint, he created this foundation to provide free mobile devices and internet access to students in need
Marathon participation: Claure and his wife regularly participate in marathons for charitable causes

Controversies

SoftBank compensation dispute

Claure's most publicized controversy was his departure from SoftBank in January 2022. According to The New York Times and other reports, Claure sought approximately $2 billion in compensation from SoftBank for his work turning around WeWork and orchestrating the Sprint/T-Mobile merger.

Masayoshi Son was reportedly willing to pay a substantially smaller amount. The disagreement became public, and Claure ultimately left the company. The dispute raised questions about executive compensation in the technology sector and the valuation of turnaround work.

WeWork association

Claure has expressed frustration that his public reputation became associated with WeWork's failures, despite his role as the person brought in to fix the company after its original leadership had already created the problems. WeWork's continued struggles and eventual bankruptcy filing in 2023 complicated his legacy, even though the company's fundamental problems predated his involvement.

Sprint performance questions

When Claure and other SoftBank executives took over WeWork in 2019, some observers questioned whether the same team that had been running Sprint for years was qualified for another turnaround. Sprint had achieved mixed results under SoftBank ownership, stabilizing somewhat but never becoming a genuine competitor to larger rivals.

Awards and recognition

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year - Hall of Fame inductee
Young Global Leader - World Economic Forum
Great Immigrants Recipient - Carnegie Corporation of New York
Hispanic Business Entrepreneur of the Year
Bolivia's Wealthiest Person - Bloomberg Billionaires Index (2022)

References

External links