Ami Miron

Ami Miron
Born Ami Miron
Kibbutz Ruhama, Israel
Nationality American Israeli
Alma mater Technion
Polytechnic Institute of NYU
Columbia University
Known for Picture In Picture (PIP)
Ghost canceling technology
High-definition television (HDTV)
Founder of MoreCom
Entrepreneurship

Ami Miron is an American Israeli entrepreneur and technology developer specializing in consumer electronics, the Internet, and television. He developed and patented the first Picture In Picture (PIP) for Philips Electronics. Miron also worked to solve the problem of ghost images on television and led the development of the first high-definition television (HDTV) system in the U.S. He received two Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards for these last two innovations.

In his professional career, he has worked for Dutch electronics giant Philips and General Instrument Corporation (acquired by Motorola and now part of Google). In 1997, he founded MoreCom, a software networking company which was sold to Liberate Technologies in 2000.

Miron currently serves as the president of Philadelphia-based AM Partners, which he founded.

Early life and education

Miron was born and grew up on Kibbutz Ruhama in southern Israel.[1][2] Miron served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), graduating first in his class from the IDF Officers Academy. He served as an artillery commander on the Sinai front in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and was recognized for his distinguished service as a captain. Miron credits his military experience for helping advance his professional career: "The military let me, at age 20, be in charge of a battalion, where I had to be responsible for all the needs of my unit in war and peace. This background helped my leadership, organizational skills, and my confidence in achieving stretched goals."[3][4]

Following his military service, Miron earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in electrical engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, in Haifa. He went on to receive a master's degree in electrical engineering (MSEE) from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and a professional degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University. Miron later completed an executive management program at Babson College.[5]

Career

Philips Electronics

After working for Dutch electronics giant Philips in the Netherlands,[6] Miron came to the U.S. in 1981 to work for Philips in America. Miron developed and patented the first Picture in Picture (PIP) system for Philips. He subsequently developed a system to solve the problem of ghost images on television. The FCC selected this Ghost Canceling System as the U.S. standard, which won Miron a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award. Miron won his second Technology and Engineering Emmy Award for leading the development of the first high-definition television (HDTV) system in the U.S., which the FCC then selected as the U.S. standard.[7] Miron worked as the director of television systems at Philips Laboratories in Briarcliff Manor, New York,[8] overseeing a team of 100 engineers.[6]

General Instrument Corporation

In 1993, Miron joined Horsham, Pennsylvania-based General Instrument Corporation (later Motorola and now Google) as vice president to lead advanced technology and new products for the cable television, consumer and telecommunication markets.[3]

MoreCom

In 1997, Miron left General Instrument to found MoreCom Inc., a software networking company based in Horsham that provided digital entertainment and Internet content to televisions.[2][9] In 2000, Liberate Technologies acquired the privately held MoreCom in an all-stock deal.[1][10][11]

Miron believed that selling the privately held MoreCom was a better option for the company than taking it public, stating, "We are in a world where there is room at the top for three players, and I want to make sure we are part of those players. In many ways, a merger is more powerful than an IPO... Many companies have gone public and not been able to sustain their existence."[12]

Current ventures

Miron is the founder and president of Philadelphia-based AM Partners, which works with entrepreneurs, start-ups, venture capital, and universities. He serves on the board of Ben Franklin Technology Partners and on the advisory board of Emerald Stage2 Ventures. Miron also serves as a senior advisor at the Wharton Small Business Development Center and an advisor to the Columbia University Entrepreneurship program. He is on the Upper Dublin School District Strategic Planning Committee in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and is a member of several other community organizations.[3][13]

Personal life

Miron resides in Dresher, Pennsylvania and is the father to four children.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Peachier Than Peach". Globes. 29 March 2000.
  2. 1 2 "Liberate spends $561m. on firm in which Israeli venture capital funds hold some 40%". The Jerusalem Post. 29 March 2000. p. 12.
  3. 1 2 3 "The (High) Definition of Success". Columbia Engineering 53 (2): 26. Spring 2012.
  4. ↑ "כי סרן עמיחי מירון" (in Hebrew). Beit Hatothan.
  5. ↑ "Ami Miron EE'89". Columbia Engineering.
  6. 1 2 "הטלביזיה מתה תחי הטלביזיה" [TV is dead long live TV]. Yedioth Ahronoth (in Hebrew). 25 December 1992.
  7. 1 2 "Ami Miron". Ben Franklin Technology Partners.
  8. ↑ "Philips Laboratories tunes in HDTV work". Gannett Westchester Newspapers. 17 March 1991.
  9. ↑ "Ami Miron's Dream Inspired Millions of Interactive Cable Boxes". Ben Franklin Technology Partners. 19 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "Small Business Makes it Big". Globes. 18 May 2000.
  11. ↑ "Liberate Technologies to Acquire MoreCom, Inc.". PR Newswire.
  12. ↑ "Tech Firm Sold". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2 April 2000.
  13. ↑ "Team". Emerald Stage2 Ventures.
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