The character arc of Marcelo Claure
A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record
Born 9 December 1970 in Guatemala City, the son of a United Nations geologist, and raised in Morocco, the Dominican Republic and La Paz. Between then and now sit a Bolivian school in 1989, a degree at Bentley in 1993, Brightstar founded in October 1997, a SoftBank deal in 2013, the chief executive's office at Sprint in 2014, SoftBank Group in 2018 and a fund of his own in 2023. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of his life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Marcelo Claure?
Four countries before he was twenty, and he built it anyway.
He was born in Guatemala City in 1970. His father worked as a geologist for the United Nations, so the family moved: Morocco, then the Dominican Republic, then La Paz, where he settled and where he finished at the American Cooperative School in 1989. He holds both Bolivian and American citizenship. That is four countries before university, none of them chosen by him.
He went to the United States, started at the University of Lowell and transferred to Bentley College, taking a bachelor of science in economics and finance in 1993. In October 1997 he founded Brightstar, a wireless distributor, moving phones between manufacturers and the markets that wanted them. It became the largest Hispanic owned business in the United States, and held that position for six years. In 2013 SoftBank bought a majority stake for one and a quarter billion dollars; he had owned forty three per cent of it.
In August 2014 he became chief executive of Sprint and led a turnaround that carried it from losses into profit. In May 2018 SoftBank made him chief operating officer of the group, running its international operations, and from October 2019 he was executive chairman of WeWork. Since then: Bicycle Capital in June 2023, vice chairman of Shein from October 2023, and partner and co-chairman of Brightstar Capital Partners from April 2025. He has owned Club Bolívar since 2008, co-owns Girona FC in Spain, and took a stake in New York City FC in 2024. His line is worth reading for the moving: a boy shifted between continents by somebody else's job, who built a business out of moving things between countries.
The moments
Marcelo Claure's timeline.
The 1980s
School in La Paz
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Four countries by eighteen, none of them his idea.
The 1990s
A degree at Bentley
Milestone, and it changed his direction. He started at one university and moved to another, which by then was a family habit.
Take a job, or start the company
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: found Brightstar, taken, or work for somebody else. Brightstar became the largest Hispanic owned business in the United States and SoftBank bought a majority of it in 2013.
Brightstar
Milestone, and it changed everything. Twenty six years old, and a business built on moving phones between countries.
The 2000s
The largest of its kind
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Largest in the country, for six years running.
He bought Club Bolívar
Everyday. A football club in the country he grew up in, bought while the business was still growing.
The 2010s
SoftBank bought in
Milestone, and it changed everything. Sixteen years from founding to a deal at that size.
Chief executive of Sprint
Milestone, and it changed everything. An American telephone company, run by a man who finished school in La Paz.
Chief operating officer
Milestone, and it changed his direction. From running one company to running the international side of the group that owned it.
Executive chairman of WeWork
Milestone. Sent into a company in trouble, which is a particular kind of job.
The 2020s
Girona, and then New York
Everyday. Football clubs in Bolivia, Spain and the United States.
A fund of his own
Milestone, and it changed his direction. Back to building rather than fixing.
Back to the Brightstar name
Milestone. The name he started with in 1997, on a different kind of firm.
The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving runs from a distribution business into football clubs on three continents, and into a proof that a Bolivian school leaver could end up running an American telephone company.
Your turn
Every line draws a unique story.
His was moved between four countries before he could choose any of them. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.
Marcelo Claure: frequently asked questions
What people ask about his line.
What is Marcelo Claure's character arc?
What were the turning points in Marcelo Claure's life?
What is Brightstar, the company Marcelo Claure founded?
Was Marcelo Claure the chief executive of Sprint?
Where is Marcelo Claure from?
Does Marcelo Claure own football clubs?
What does Marcelo Claure do now?
Where does this timeline of Marcelo Claure's life come from?
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Sources
- Marcelo Claure, English Wikipedia biography.
- SoftBank Group announcements, 2013, 2014 and 2018.