Interesting facts about billionaire philanthropist and businessman Len Blavatnik

You probably know Len Blavatnik as the richest man in the United Kingdom. The Blavatnik bio is full of business accomplishments, smart deals, and giving back to society. The billionaire businessman protects his private life, however here are some interesting facts about his history:

Even though is the richest man in the UK, Len Blavatnik was born in the city of Odessa in Ukraine. Born into a Jewish family, and was not able to attend the University of his choosing. Instead, he attended the Moscow University of Railway Engineering until his family migrated to the United States.

In the US, he continued his education at Columbia University where he earned a master’s degree in computer science. He follows that up with an MBA from Harvard University.

It was in 1986 that Blavatnik founded his company, Access Industries. The firm began with a focus toward investments in Russia but eventually diversified to include real estate, media, telecom, and natural resources.

He spends most of his time in New York and London, where he has two homes. The house in Kensington Gardens carries a valuation at $315 million, and the apartment in New York comes in at around $75 million.

Blavatnik contributes heavily to the advancement of life sciences through the Blavatnik Foundation. The foundation supports several charities, universities, grants, and has been generous to The National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Royal Academy of Arts, and Colel Chabad, to name a few.