Ken Howery

Kenneth Alan Howery (/ˈhaʊəri/; born November 4, 1975) is an American entrepreneur and diplomat. As of 2020, he is currently serving as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden and is a co-founder of PayPal[1] and Founders Fund.[2]

Ken Howery
United States Ambassador to Sweden
Incumbent
Assumed office November 7, 2019
President	Donald Trump
Preceded by	Azita Raji
Personal details
Born	Kenneth Alan Howery (1975-11-04) November 4, 1975
Alma mater	Stanford University (BA)
Known for	Co-founder and CFO at PayPal; Co-founder and partner at Founders Fund

Early life and education

Born in 1975, Howery graduated from Stanford University in 1998 with a B.A. in economics. While at Stanford, he was managing editor of The Stanford Review, a student-run newspaper founded by Peter Thiel.[3]

Career

The same year he graduated, he co-founded PayPal with Peter Thiel, Luke Nosek, Elon Musk, and Max Levchin. The group of founders became known as the PayPal Mafia, which included other peers and early investors. From 1998 to 2002, Howery served as PayPal’s CFO. Following PayPal's acquisition by eBay in 2002, Howery served as eBay's Director of Corporate Development until 2003. Howery then rejoined Thiel in 2004 at Clarium Capital Management, where he served as vice president of private equity, as well as a member of the research and trading teams.[4]

In March 2012, the World Economic Forum named Howery a Young Global Leader,[5] a community of “socially-minded men and women selected under the age of 40, who operate as a force for good to overcome barriers that elsewhere stand in the way of progress."[6] He is also a member of the Selection Committee for the World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers Program.[4]

In 2005, Howery and Thiel, along with fellow PayPal alumnus, Luke Nosek, started Founders Fund, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with over $3 billion under management, where he served as co-founder and partner. He has served on the boards of Quantcast and ZocDoc. In 2010, Venture Capital Journal named Howery one of the Top 10 VCs under 36.[7] He has lectured on entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School and Stanford, and has helped students at UC Berkeley and the McCombs School of Business develop business models.

Howery is a member of The Explorers Club, a non-profit group that promotes scientific exploration.[8]

Howery serves as an advisor to Kiva, a 501(c)(3) charity organization which enables people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in over 80 countries. He is a member of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, which has a stated goal of increasing the United States' economic competitiveness in the global marketplace.[4]

Howery's net worth stands at $1.5 billion.[9]

Diplomacy

On January 16, 2019, Howery was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Sweden.[10][11] Following a confirmation hearing on May 16, 2019, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee favorably reported Howery’s nomination to the Senate, which confirmed Howery on September 17, 2019 by a vote of 62–32.[12][13] In his confirmation hearing, Howery stated his priorities as Ambassador would include pursuing expanded economic and trade relationships, advancing mutual security commitments, and promoting science, technology and entrepreneurship opportunities.[14]

References

1. Kelly, Makena (2018-10-16). "Peter Thiel associate named as ambassador to Sweden". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
2. "Ken Howery". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
3. "Life After the Stanford Review". The Stanford Review. February 10, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
4. "Board and Advisors | Kiva". blog.kiva.org. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
5. "List of 2012 Young Global Leaders Honourees" (PDF). World Economic Forum. July 20, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
6. "Young Global Leaders". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
7. Staff (August 2, 2010). "Hot prospects: Top 10 VCs under 36". Reuters.
8. "Behind the Scenes with PayPal Co-Founder Ken Howery". IVY MAGAZINE. October 11, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
9. "PayPal net worth has surpassed parent company eBay - Compelo". NS Business. 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
10. "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
11. "Sweden one step closer to getting a US ambassador – after more than two years". www.thelocal.se. May 29, 2019.
12. "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 116th Congress - 1st Session". www.senate.gov.
13. "PN127 — Kenneth A. Howery — Department of State". Congress.gov. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
14. "Statement of Kenneth A. Howery" (PDF). Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Retrieved 17 September 2019.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Azita Raji	United States Ambassador to Sweden 2019–present	Incumbent