Michael Acton Smith, OBE, Digital, Debrett's 500 2015, People

Michael Acton Smith, OBE

FOUNDER, MIND CANDY

Michael Acton Smith is the founder of Mind Candy, a children’s entertainment business and the owners of the BAFTA-award-winning game Moshi Monsters, which now has in excess of 75 million users around the world. Acton Smith began his career launching online retailer Firebox.com in his early twenties with a rent-free attic and a £1000 loan from his mother. Today, Acton Smith is considered to be one of the UK’s most successful gaming entrepreneurs and a prolific supporter of new technology initiatives in and around London. In the summer of 2014, Acton Smith announced that he would move to a creative leadership role at Mind Candy, stepping down from his role as chief executive to return to his more creative roots. The company has its sights set on targeting the US market heavily and is rumoured for floatation in the future.