English entrepreneur in the Virginia Company that founded the Virginia colony. He also financed numerous trade ventures and voyages of exploration during the early 17th century.

A member of the London Haberdashers' and Skinners' companies from 1580, he accumulated a considerable fortune from commerce. Besides holding official posts, he was also organizer (1600) and, except for the period 1606–07, governor of the East India Company until 1621. He was knighted in 1603 and served as governor of the Muscovy and French companies and special ambassador to the tsar of Russia (1604–05). Smythe obtained the charter of the Virginia Company in 1609 and was treasurer until 1618, when charges of embezzlement, later proved to be false, forced his resignation. His labour, perseverance, and money were largely responsible for the success of the Virginia colony.

As governor of the Somers Islands (Bermuda) Company, organized in 1615, Smythe developed the Bermuda Islands with close economic and political ties to Virginia. He also was a major promoter of voyages to find a Northwest Passage to the Orient; Smith Sound (between Ellesmere Island and Greenland) was named in his honour by its discoverer, William Baffin.