Prime Ventures

Alexander Ribbink, former Chief Operating Officer of TomTom (TOM2), the successful portable navigation devices company, has become a partner at Prime Technology Ventures, the Dutch and UK based venture capital firm.

Alexander joined TomTom in 2003 and played a major role in the international growth and marketing success of this global technology company. When he joined TomTom the company’s turnover was in the tens of millions of euros, when he left, in 2008, the company’s turnover was approaching 1.8 billion euros. More than 45 million TomTom personal navigation devices found their way into people’s cars around the world – and counting! Alexander was part of the leadership team that IPO-ed the company on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 2005.

At Prime Alexander will focus on investments in consumer internet, digital media, and technology companies focusing on consumer end markets. “With his successful experience in consumer marketing Alexander adds a different perspective to our team. We believe his experience of being the COO of a hyper growth company such as TomTom is very valuable for entrepreneurs, says Sake Bosch, managing partner at Prime. Alexander: “Prime is a very successful European VC firm and I am excited to join and to support the most ambitious entrepreneurs to achieve their growth plans."

Prior to his time at TomTom Alexander held a number of senior directors’ positions at MARS Inc. and Unilever NV, living and working in Paris, London and the Hamburg area.

Alexander holds an MA degree in Law from the University of Amsterdam and an MBA degree from the Rotterdam School of Management. He spent part of his MBA education in Evanston, USA at the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Alexander was awarded Marketeer of the Year and Advertising Man of the year. He received a number of awards for communication and advertising campaigns for which he was responsible, including the prestigious golden European EFFIE award for effectiveness.