Eduardo Saverin

Eduardo Saverin
Saverin in 2012
Eduardo Saverin
Born	Eduardo Luiz Saverin 19 3, 1982
Birthplace	São Paulo, Brazil
Nationality	Brazilian
Occupation	Entrepreneur, investor
Known for	Co-founder of Facebook (now Meta Platforms) Co-founder of B Capital Group
Education	Harvard University (BA)
Spouse(s)	Elaine Andriejanssen
Children	1

Eduardo Luiz Saverin (born March 19, 1982) is a Brazilian entrepreneur, angel investor, and venture capitalist who co-founded Facebook — now Meta Platforms — alongside Mark Zuckerberg and several other Harvard University classmates in 2004. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, and raised partly in the United States, Saverin provided the initial funding that helped launch the social networking platform from a Harvard dormitory room into one of the most consequential technology companies in history. His subsequent legal dispute with Zuckerberg over his stake in the company became a defining episode in Silicon Valley lore, dramatized in the 2010 film The Social Network, in which he was portrayed by actor Andrew Garfield. Following a settlement that restored his recognition as a co-founder and preserved a significant equity stake, Saverin relocated to Singapore, where he has established himself as a prominent venture capital investor. He is the co-founder and co-CEO of B Capital Group, a technology-focused venture capital firm. In recent years, Saverin and his wife Elaine have expanded their philanthropic activities through the Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation, which has supported cancer research and other causes.

Early Life

Eduardo Luiz Saverin was born on March 19, 1982, in São Paulo, Brazil, into a wealthy Brazilian family of Jewish heritage. His family had significant business interests in Brazil, including in the shipping, real estate, and export industries.

When Saverin was a teenager, his family relocated to Miami, Florida, in the United States. Reports have indicated that the family's move was motivated at least in part by security concerns, as his father's name had appeared on a kidnapping target list in Brazil. The family settled in the Miami area, where Saverin spent his formative adolescent years and completed his secondary education. He became a United States citizen in 1998.

Growing up in Brazil and later in the United States, Saverin developed an early interest in business and finance. His upbringing in a family with substantial commercial operations exposed him to entrepreneurial thinking from a young age. This background in business would later prove instrumental when he provided the initial capital and business acumen that helped transform Facebook from a college project into a registered company.

Education

Saverin attended Harvard University, where he studied economics. At Harvard, he was a member of several student organizations, including the Harvard Investment Association, where his knowledge of finance and business operations distinguished him among his peers. It was through the university's social circles that Saverin met Mark Zuckerberg and other students who would become involved in the creation of Facebook.

Saverin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University. His academic background in economics provided him with the financial literacy and business planning skills that made him a natural fit to serve as Facebook's first chief financial officer during its earliest days as a startup.

Career

Co-founding Facebook

In early 2004, while both were students at Harvard University, Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook. Saverin provided the initial funding of $15,000 to cover the costs of servers and other startup expenses, and he was named the company's first chief financial officer (CFO) and business manager. His role in the nascent company centered on the business side of operations — developing a business model, handling financial matters, and pursuing advertising revenue — while Zuckerberg focused on the technical development of the platform.

The social networking site launched on February 4, 2004, initially limited to Harvard students before expanding to other Ivy League universities and eventually to colleges across the United States. During this early period, Saverin worked on securing advertising deals for the fledgling platform, reportedly spending the summer of 2004 in New York attempting to sell ads while Zuckerberg operated from Palo Alto, California.

Dispute with Zuckerberg and dilution of shares

As Facebook grew rapidly in 2004 and 2005, tensions arose between Saverin and Zuckerberg. The core of the dispute centered on Saverin's equity stake in the company, which was diluted through a series of corporate restructurings. According to reports, as Facebook incorporated in Delaware and issued new shares, Saverin's ownership percentage was reduced from an initial stake of approximately 34% to less than 10%, and eventually to a fraction of a percent.

An email sent by Zuckerberg during this period, later made public, discussed the planned dilution of Saverin's shares. Saverin's name was also removed from Facebook's masthead and official materials. In response, Saverin filed a lawsuit against Facebook in 2005, alleging that his shares had been unfairly diluted and that he had been improperly cut out of the company he helped found.

The lawsuit was settled out of court in 2009. The terms of the settlement were not publicly disclosed in their entirety, but the agreement resulted in Saverin's official recognition as a co-founder of Facebook and the restoration of a significant equity stake in the company. His name was subsequently included in Facebook's official regulatory filings as a co-founder. In a 2012 interview, Saverin stated that there were "no hard feelings" between himself and Zuckerberg.

Mark Zuckerberg later acknowledged that his handling of the situation with Saverin was a mistake. In a 2025 report, Zuckerberg reflected that the early misstep with Saverin likely cost him billions of dollars but that he views the experience as a learning moment.

Relocation to Singapore

In 2009, Saverin relocated to Singapore, where he established his primary residence. The move drew significant public attention, particularly when it was revealed in 2012 — shortly before Facebook's initial public offering (IPO) — that Saverin had renounced his United States citizenship in September 2011. His name appeared in the Federal Register's quarterly list of individuals who had chosen to expatriate, published on April 30, 2012.

The timing of the renunciation, coming months before Facebook's May 2012 IPO, led to widespread speculation that the decision was motivated by tax considerations, as Singapore does not impose capital gains taxes. The Bloomberg report noted that Saverin stood to gain financially by choosing Singapore over the United States. The renunciation prompted criticism from several U.S. senators and a broader public debate about expatriation for tax purposes. Saverin maintained that his decision to reside in Singapore was driven by his desire to be closer to the growing technology markets of Southeast Asia and that his motivations were not purely financial.

B Capital Group and venture capital

Following his settlement with Facebook and relocation to Singapore, Saverin became active as an angel investor, making investments in a range of technology startups across Asia and globally. He invested in numerous companies in the social media, mobile commerce, and financial technology sectors, building a portfolio that extended well beyond his Facebook holdings.

In 2015, Saverin co-founded B Capital Group, a technology-focused venture capital firm that invests in growth-stage companies. The firm was established in partnership with Raj Ganguly, a former executive at Bain Capital, and has offices in multiple locations globally. B Capital focuses on companies in sectors including financial technology, healthcare, transportation, and enterprise software, with a particular emphasis on businesses that leverage technology to address large markets. Saverin serves as co-CEO of B Capital.

The founding of B Capital marked Saverin's transition from individual angel investing to institutional venture capital management. The firm raised substantial funds and made investments in companies across the United States, Asia, and other regions. Forbes reported in 2019 that the firm had developed into a significant player in the venture capital landscape, with Saverin's personal network and brand recognition serving as assets in fundraising and deal sourcing.

Views on technology regulation

In 2025, Saverin expressed views on the future of social media regulation, stating that social networks would face increasing regulatory scrutiny. He noted that political pressures were mounting and that the era of relatively unregulated social media platforms was shifting toward a framework with greater oversight.

Personal Life

Eduardo Saverin married Elaine Andriejanssen, a Singapore-based Indonesian Chinese woman, in a ceremony that was reported by The Straits Times. The couple has one child.

Saverin holds Brazilian citizenship, having been born in São Paulo. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1998 but renounced that citizenship in September 2011, retaining only his Brazilian nationality. He has been based in Singapore since 2009 and has spoken publicly about Singapore being a significant place in his personal and professional life.

Saverin's personal story gained broader cultural visibility through the 2010 film The Social Network, directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, in which actor Andrew Garfield portrayed Saverin. The film focused significantly on the founding of Facebook and the legal disputes between Saverin and Zuckerberg. In 2025, amid discussion of a potential sequel to the film, Garfield indicated that he would not be reprising the role of Saverin, noting that Saverin's life had moved in directions not directly connected to the original film's storyline.

Philanthropy

Eduardo Saverin and his wife Elaine established the Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation, through which they have directed philanthropic contributions to medical research and other causes. In November 2025, the foundation awarded a $20 million grant to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, to advance research into metastatic breast cancer. The grant was described as intended to fuel innovation across metastatic breast cancer research, supporting work at one of the leading cancer research institutions in the United States.

In a 2025 interview with The Straits Times, Saverin and his wife discussed their philanthropic commitment, with both describing Singapore as holding a "special place" in their giving journey. The couple indicated that their philanthropic efforts extend across multiple areas and geographies, reflecting the international scope of their personal and professional lives.

Recognition

Saverin's recognition derives primarily from his role as a co-founder of Facebook (now Meta Platforms), one of the most prominent technology companies in the world. His co-founder status, restored as part of the 2009 legal settlement, is reflected in Facebook's official filings and public materials.

His portrayal in The Social Network brought his story to a global audience. The 2010 film was critically acclaimed, winning multiple Academy Awards, and Andrew Garfield's portrayal of Saverin earned widespread recognition. The film depicted Saverin sympathetically, framing his dispute with Zuckerberg as a story of friendship and betrayal in the context of Silicon Valley's rapid growth.

Forbes has tracked Saverin's wealth on its billionaires list, noting that the majority of his fortune derives from his retained stake in Meta Platforms. According to Forbes, Saverin is the wealthiest Brazilian national. His status as a Singapore-based billionaire has also drawn attention to the city-state's role as a hub for wealthy entrepreneurs and investors in the Asia-Pacific region.

Through B Capital Group, Saverin has gained recognition in the venture capital industry. Forbes profiled the firm in 2019, describing how Saverin had built a venture firm that leveraged his personal network and reputation to establish a presence in the competitive world of growth-stage technology investing.

Legacy

Eduardo Saverin's legacy is shaped by two interrelated narratives: his role in the founding of one of the most consequential technology platforms of the 21st century and his subsequent journey as an investor and philanthropist based in Southeast Asia. As a co-founder of Facebook, Saverin played a critical early role in transforming a Harvard dormitory project into a global corporation. His provision of the initial capital and his work on the business model during the company's first months were foundational contributions, even as his operational involvement ended relatively early in Facebook's history.

The legal dispute between Saverin and Zuckerberg became one of the most prominent business conflicts of the early social media era. The case — and its fictionalized depiction in The Social Network — raised broader questions about equity, fairness, and the dynamics of co-founder relationships in technology startups. The dispute has been studied and referenced in discussions of corporate governance, founder agreements, and the importance of clear legal structures in early-stage companies.

Saverin's decision to relocate to Singapore and renounce his U.S. citizenship generated a significant public policy debate about expatriation, tax obligations, and the global mobility of wealthy individuals. The episode contributed to legislative proposals in the U.S. Congress aimed at penalizing individuals who renounce citizenship for tax purposes.

Through B Capital Group, Saverin has contributed to the development of the venture capital ecosystem in Singapore and Southeast Asia, helping to channel investment into technology companies in the region. His philanthropic activities, particularly the substantial grants made through the Elaine and Eduardo Saverin Foundation, have directed resources toward medical research at prominent institutions.