James Dacombe, 25, is Europe's youngest self-made billionaire after Olix's $3.3bn round
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James Dacombe, the 25-year-old founder of London-based Olix and CoMind, is Europe's youngest self-made billionaire after Olix's $3.3 billion funding round. The round earlier this month leaves Dacombe with a net worth above $1 billion, based on his 30% stake in Olix and 12% stake in CoMind.
Key Facts
- Olix raised $312 million from investors earlier this month, giving the London-based AI chipmaker a $3.3 billion market capitalization.
- Dacombe owns an estimated 30% stake in Olix and a 12% stake in CoMind, which raised $102.5 million in August 2025.
- Dacombe dropped out of Ashville College in Harrogate at 17 and later received a $250,000 Thiel Fellowship.
- Dacombe is one of 11 self-made billionaires under 30 worldwide and one of four outside the United States.
- James Dacombe began programming apps and websites at age 13.
Olix Funding Round
Olix, the London-based AI chipmaker founded by Dacombe, raised $312 million from investors earlier this month. The round lifted the company's market capitalization to $3.3 billion, more than triple its valuation in February. Dacombe, who owns an estimated 30% stake in Olix, saw his net worth exceed $1 billion after the funding. CoMind, Dacombe's brain monitoring startup launched in 2017, raised $102.5 million in August last year and remains under his leadership. Dacombe also owns a 12% stake in CoMind.
Dacombe's Entrepreneurial Path
Dacombe began programming apps and websites at age 13 while attending Ashville College in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. He took A levels in physics, mathematics, economics, and business before leaving school at 17 to scale CoMind. Four years later, he joined the Thiel Fellowship, a two-year program founded by Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel that awards $250,000 to entrepreneurs who skip college. Dacombe said in 2024 that starting a business young gave him 'naivety' without scar tissue from past failures.
Gen Z Billionaire Class
Dacombe is one of 11 self-made billionaires worldwide under age 30. He is one of four in that group who live outside the United States. The Thiel Fellowship has previously backed founders such as Scale AI's Alexandr Wang and Lucy Guo.
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James Dacombe, 25, is Europe's youngest self-made billionaire after Olix's $3.3bn round
