| Michael Birch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 July 1970[1] Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England, UK[2] |
| Occupation | Computer programmer |
| Spouse | Xochi Birch |
Michael Birch born 7 July 1970 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire[2] is an English computer programmer and entrepreneur. Michael attended Imperial College London where he studied for a BSc in Physics (1988–1991). Michael is married to Xochi Birch. Together with Michael's brother Paul they founded BirthdayAlarm.com and with Morgan Sowden they founded Ringo.com (which was sold to tickle.com in 2003).[3] He later founded the online social networking website Bebo[4] with the help of his wife in January 2005, with a major launch in July 2005. In 2007, Bebo had over 45 million registered users and was the sixth most popular site in the UK, bigger than AOL, Amazon.co.uk and bbc.co.uk.[5]
Michael and Xochi Birch sold Bebo to AOL in March 2008 for $850 million. Their combined 70% stake yielded a profit of $595 million from the deal.[6]
In June 2008, Michael invested in, and joined the board of, MyStore.com along with Julian Lennon, Todd Meagher and Gordon Crawford. He is also an investor in Goodreads, a book oriented social network[7]
In May 2010, Michael Invested in Punktilio which is a Social Media Start-up Agency. Michael also joined the business as an adviser.
Birch said: "The social space is now a visible reality, and it's only going to get bigger. Few people truly understand it, particularly from a brand perspective but everyone involved with Punktilio has worked on both sides of the fence so the knowledge and skills are unparalleled."
Punktilio clients include Phones 4 U, Arsenal FC and Simon Cowell's SyCo Music label.
Michael and his wife Xochi are supporters of the non-profit organization charity:water, having given over $3 million to their organization.[8] Michael also helped the organization launch mycharitywater.org, a fundraising platform that has raised more than $8 million for clean water projects around the world since launch in Fall 2009.