Guy Willner is a seasoned entrepreneur and a globally recognized leader in the data center industry, with over 30 years of experience in high-tech and digital infrastructure.
In 1998, Willner co-founded IXEurope, a leading European data center provider, raising $100 million in venture capital and achieving over 600% revenue growth in its first three years. IXEurope was listed as the UK’s fastest-growing company in the 2002 Sunday Times Tech Track 100 and was acquired by Equinix in 2007 for $555 million, with Willner serving as President of Equinix Europe until 2008.
He later joined the board of Teraco Data Environments in South Africa (2008–2014), contributing to its growth until its sale to Permira.Willner co-founded IXcellerate in 2012, establishing it as one of Russia’s top data center operators, with over $50 million in investments and a 99.999% service availability.
In 2018, he co-founded IXAfrica, aiming to build East Africa’s largest hyperscale data center campus in Nairobi.
Since 2022, he has advised Helios Investment Partners on digital infrastructure in Africa and joined Apto as a Senior Advisor in 2024 to support European hyperscale data center development. Known for his innovative approach and passion for emerging markets, Willner continues to shape the global data center landscape.
In this interview, he talks candidly to Platform Markets’ CMO, Nicola Hayes about his 30 year journey.
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