Who is Mike Lynch? Britain's 'Bill Gates' missing from superyacht that sank off Sicily Tech tycoon Mike Lynch was dubbed "Britain's Bill Gates" for good reason - having borrowed £2,000 to start a business that morphed into a software giant. Only months ago he was cleared of fraud charges he faced in the US over the £8.6billion sale of that business - Autonomy - to Hewlett-Packard in 2011.
Mr Lynch is currently missing after luxury yacht the Bajesian sank off the coast of Palermo, Sicily during a tornado. His wife, Angela Bacares, is among the survivors - one man has died and six more are unaccounted for. Despite amassing huge wealth, Mr Lynch comes from humble beginnings.
Born in Ilford in Essex in June 1965, he was raised in nearby Chelmsford, where his mother was a nurse and his father a fireman. Both his parents have Irish roots. Mr Lynch said his father regretted not having the chance to go to university, saying: "He realised the importance of education so that was something that was very much fostered in my home.
" Image: Bloomberg via Getty Images) Bloomberg via Getty Images) Aged 11, he won a scholarship to Bancroft's School in Woodford, Essex. Mr Lynch went to Cambridge University where he studied physics, mathematics and biochemistry. His doctoral thesis was reportedly one.
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