Martha Lane Fox
University of Oxford · Lastminute.com
The Oxford Graduate Who Became the Face of the Dot-Com Boom
18 March 2026
Martha Lane Fox studied ancient and modern history at Magdalen College, Oxford. After graduating, she worked at a consulting firm where she met Brent Hoberman. Together they spotted an opportunity: unsold hotel rooms and flights could be sold at deep discounts.
The Dot-Com Darling
Lastminute.com launched in 1998 and became one of the most high-profile companies of the dot-com era. Lane Fox and Hoberman became media celebrities, embodying the excitement of the internet revolution.
IPO and Crash
The company floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 at £571 million. When the dot-com bubble burst weeks later, the share price collapsed. But unlike many peers, Lastminute.com survived and eventually sold to Sabre Corporation for £577 million in 2005.
From Entrepreneur to Baroness
Lane Fox went on to become the UK's Digital Champion, founded the charity Doteveryone, served on multiple boards, and was made Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho — a life peer in the House of Lords. She proved that entrepreneurship can be a springboard to systemic change.
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