'Mysterious' Indian-born investor gains $3.8 billion off Twitter IPO

**New York:**Suhail Rizvi, an enigmatic India-born investor, has emerged as one of the biggest gainers fromTwitter’s high-profile public debut with his 15.6 per centstake in the micro-blogging site worth a whopping USD 3.8billion.

Rizvi is the “non-boldface name of the moment”, a reportin the New York Times said, describing him as a “strategicpower broker who prefers to operate behind the scenes”.

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The 47-year-old has remained a mystery in the SiliconValley despite his significant tech investments in recentyears.

He runs a private investment company Rizvi TraverseManagement, the largest outside investor in the micro-bloggingsite with a 15.6 per cent stake worth USD 3.8 billion at theend of trading on Twitter NYSE debut yesterday.

“Twitter’s public offering represents a coming-out partyfor Rizvi, who remains largely a mystery in Silicon Valleydespite his growing number of tech investments.“In Silicon Valley, and even at Twitter’s San Franciscoheadquarters, prominent investors and executives said they hadnot heard his name until it poppedup in public disclosures bythe company last month,” the report said yesterday.

“Rizvi’s rise illustrates how a new tech investor classwith deep Wall Street connections is carving new paths intothe unfamiliar and insular terrain of Silicon Valley,” itsaid.

Despite a stellar rise, Rizvi has managed to stay almostentirely out of the spotlight.

Born in India and raised in Iowa, Rizvi is known as aquiet man who has built a “powerful and diverse” group offriends, including Virgin Group founder Richard Branson andchief executive of YouTube Salar Kamangar.

“Rizvi has been seen partying atop Eric Schmidt’s yacht,the Oasis, at Cannes.“Some Twitter investors said at one point when they saw

the mysterious Rizvi’s stake in the company was growing, theyjokingly considered whether a criminal-background check waswarranted,” the report said.

Rizvi’s Twitter profile is private, and the photoassociated with it is that of a peacock.

PTI