Mike Lynch, the British tech entrepreneur known for co-founding Autonomy and supporting various tech ventures, is currently missing after a luxury yacht, the Bayesian, sank near Sicily due to severe weather.
His daughter Hannah is also missing, and while one person has been confirmed dead, six remain unaccounted for. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, has been rescued.
Mike Lynch, who amassed wealth by selling his tech firm Autonomy to HP for $11 billion in 2011, has been missing after a luxury yacht sank off Sicily.
He had recently been acquitted in the U.S. on fraud charges related to the acquisition, a case that had threatened him with 20 years in prison.
He had commented on BBC Radio 4 in August about how his wealth had played a role in proving his innocence.
The yacht’s sinking coincides with the death of Stephen Chamberlain, his co-defendant in the fraud case, who was recently confirmed dead after a car accident in Cambridgeshire.
Mike Lynch, born on June 16, 1965, in Essex, is the son of a nurse and a fireman.
Raised near Chelmsford, he studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, earning a PhD in mathematical computing. Lynch co-founded Cambridge Neurodynamics in 1991, specializing in fingerprint recognition technology.
He later founded Autonomy in 1996, utilizing Bayesian inference in its software.
Autonomy’s rapid growth earned Lynch numerous accolades, including an OBE in 2006 for his contributions to UK enterprise.
Mike Lynch served as a non-executive director on the BBC board and was appointed to the government’s council for science and technology in 2011, advising then-Prime Minister David Cameron on AI development.
Following the sale of Autonomy to HP in 2011, where he reportedly earned £500 million, Lynch founded the tech investment firm Invoke Capital.
Through Invoke Capital, he invested in the establishment of the British cybersecurity company Darktrace in 2013 and was a board member until earlier this year.
Mike Lynch, the British tech entrepreneur, and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah are missing after their luxury yacht, Bayesian, sank off Sicily.
His wife, Angela Bacares, has been rescued. Lynch, who sold Autonomy to HP for $11 billion and later founded Invoke Capital, was recently acquitted of fraud charges in the U.S.
The sinking coincides with the death of Stephen Chamberlain, Lynch’s co-defendant, who was struck by a car while running in Cambridgeshire.
