Nicolas Berggruen (born 10 August 1961) is a philanthropist and investor. A dual American and German citizen, he is the founder and president of Berggruen Holdings, a private investment company and the Berggruen Institute, a think tank that works on addressing governance issues as well as the cultures and philosophies behind political systems. Through the Berggruen Institute he is also a co-founder, with the Huffington Post, of The WorldPost, a media publication dedicated to global issues.
Education and business career
Berggruen was born in Paris, the son of art collector Heinz Berggruen, and actress Bettina Moissi. His father was of German-Jewish descent and his mother a Catholic of German and Italian/Albanian descent. His maternal grandfather was Albanian-Italian actor Aleksandër Moisiu, based in Vienna, and his maternal grandmother, Herta Hambach, was a German actress in Berlin. Berggruen attended the École Alsacienne in Paris and Le Rosey in Switzerland, before completing a baccalauréat in Paris as a candidat libre in 1978. That same year, at the age of 17, he worked as a trainee at London Merchant Securities in London, known today as LMS Capital Plc. He subsequently obtained a Bachelor of Science in Finance and International Business from New York University in 1981. He later worked for the investment company Bass Brothers Enterprises, in its real estate group. Between 1983 and 1987, Berggruen was a Principal at Jacobson and Co.
In New York, he began building his fortune, based on a trust fund worth about $250,000, by buying real estate before moving on to stocks, bonds and a portfolio of private equity and venture funds as well as hedge funds. He founded Berggruen Holdings, Inc. in 1984 to act as investment adviser to a Berggruen family trust that has made over 50 direct investments in businesses since its inception. In 1988, he and Julio Mario Santo Domingo, Jr. co-founded Alpha Investment Management, a hedge fund that was reportedly sold to Safra Bank in 2004. Today, the investments Berggruen oversees through Berggruen Holdings are highly diversified.
The press has often referred to Berggruen as “the homeless billionaire”, as at one point he frequently lived in hotels and did not own a home.
| Nicolas Berggruen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 August 1961 Paris, France |
| Nationality | Germany, United States |
| Alma mater | New York University |
| Occupation | Investor and Philanthropist |
| Net worth |  $2.0 billion(Sept 2013) |
| Parent(s) | Heinz Berggruen Bettina Moissi |
| Website | Official site |
Nicolas Berggruen Net Worth: Nicolas Berggruen is an American investor and philanthropist who has a net worth of $2 billion. With dual American and German citizenship, Mr. Berggruen is so-called “homeless billionaire” because he doesn’t own home and lives in hotels. But this hotel-dweller who spends most of his time on the road may change his lifestyle now that he reportedly owns homes in New York and Los Angeles. Not the typical billionaire, Nicolas Berggruen is the founder and president of a private investment company, Berggruen Holdings, and a think tank that works on tackling governance issues the Berggruen Institute on Governance. Through the Berggruen Institute he got the chance to team up with Huffington Post’s Arianna Huffington to establish a new media venture covering international affairs called the World Post. The son of the founder of Museum Berggruen in Berlin, he is a passionate art collector who owns pieces by such artists as Warhol, Basquiat and Koons. With a greater heart than wealth, he is said to have plans to give all of his money away.
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