Marcelo Claure Built Brightstar Into One of America’s Most Successful Hispanic-Owned Businesses
By Staff Writer
May 11, 2026
MIAMI — Marcelo Claure, a Bolivian-American entrepreneur and investor, has become one of the most successful Hispanic business leaders in the United States by building a wireless distribution company into a global powerhouse and later expanding into technology investing, sports, fashion and education.
Claure founded Brightstar in Miami in 1997, focusing first on wireless distribution and services for Latin America. The company grew into a major global business, and Concordia describes Brightstar as the largest Hispanic-owned business in U.S. history, with operations in more than 50 countries and revenue that exceeded $10 billion.
His business career began with smaller steps before Brightstar became a global name. After studying at Bentley University, Claure returned to the United States, bought and sold a regional wireless business, and then launched Brightstar from Miami. The Immigrant Learning Center lists Brightstar, now known as Likewize, as the business he founded in 1997 and reports 2023 revenue of $1.2 billion.
Claure’s success eventually led him into major corporate leadership. He served as president and CEO of Sprint from 2014 to 2018 and later became executive chairman as Sprint moved toward its merger with T-Mobile. He also served as chief operating officer of SoftBank Group and CEO of SoftBank Group International, where he helped oversee major technology investments.
Today, Claure continues to build across several industries. Brightstar Capital Partners says he is the founder and CEO of Claure Group, a multi-billion-dollar investment firm, and also serves as Group Vice Chairman of SHEIN, Chairman of Bicycle Capital and a board member of T-Mobile.
Forbes lists Claure among the world’s billionaires and notes that after selling his first company, he founded Brightstar as a wireless distributor targeting Latin America.
Claure’s story reflects a powerful model of Hispanic entrepreneurship in America: identify a fast-growing market, build across borders and keep expanding when new opportunities appear. From Miami’s wireless industry to global investing, he has shown how immigrant ambition, disciplined execution and bold decision-making can create lasting business success.
For young entrepreneurs, Claure’s journey offers a clear lesson: success often begins by serving an overlooked market well, then using that foundation to grow into bigger opportunities.
