Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has landed a job as adviser to India-born billionaire Vinod Khosla’s US-based venture capital firm, says he shares a “clear vision” with the tycoon, “one of the earliest leaders in cleantech investment”.
Mr Blair is to lend his expertise and “global relationships” to the California-based Khosla Ventures, which specialises in promoting environmentally friendly technology, the Guardian reported on Tuesday.
Vinod Khosla is one of the founders of the computer firm Sun Microsystems. The 55-year-old tycoon has a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $1.1 billion.
He says that the world should look for technological breakthroughs to find “clean” alternatives to oil, coal, cement and steel.
Mr Blair said: “Solving the climate crisis is more than just a political agenda item — it’s an urgent priority that requires innovation, creativity and ambition.” “I share a clear vision with Vinod, one of the earliest leaders in cleantech investment, that entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond will have a tremendous impact on our environmental future,” a statement quoted Mr Blair as saying.
His appointment to the Silicon Valley firm was announced on Monday at a summit for the firm’s investors in Sausalito, near San Francisco, the media report said.