Blair joins Vinod Khosla's firm as adviser

LONDON: Former British Premier Tony Blair has joined Indian-origin billionaire Vinod Khosla's US-based company that specialises in promoting environment-friendly technology as an adviser, adding another contract to his list of lucrative deals after he resigned from office in 2007.

Blair has become an adviser in the Silicon Valley venture capital firm, 'Khosla Ventures'. He will lend his expertise and his "global relationships" to the company led by Khosla, one of the founders of the computer firm Sun Microsystems, 'The Guardian' reported.

"Solving the climate crisis is more than just a political agenda item - it's an urgent priority that requires innovation, creativity and ambition," said Blair, in a statement.

"I share a clear vision with Vinod, one of the earliest leaders in clean-tech investment, that entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and beyond will have a tremendous impact on our environmental future," he said.

His appointment to Khosla Ventures was announced at a summit for the company's investors in Sausalito, near San Francisco, yesterday.

Khosla said the arrangement would allow him to "ask Tony for advice" on environmental policy and other topics.

"Tony's going to help us in many areas that techie nerds like us in Silicon Valley don't understand," he told the Wall Street Journal.

After he quit as Prime Minister in 2007, Blair inked several lucrative deals, including lecture tours.