John Tu
| John Tu | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1940 (age 75–76) Chongqing, China |
| Residence | Rolling Hills, California |
| Nationality | United States |
| Ethnicity | Han Chinese |
| Alma mater | B.S. Technische Hochschule Darmstadt |
| Occupation | businessman |
| Known for | co-founder of Kingston Technology |
| Net worth |
 4.6 billion USD (March 2015)[1] |
| Spouse(s) | married |
| Children | 2 |
John Tu (born 1940) is a Chinese-born American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the co-founder of Kingston Technology.[1][2]
Early life
John Tu was born in Chongqing, China and grew up in Taiwan.[1][2] He studied electrical engineering at Technische Hochschule Darmstadt in Germany, then moved to California.[1][2]
Career
In 1982, he co-founded Camintonn with David Sun.[1] in 1986, they sold it for $6 million and founded Kingston Technology.[1] In 1996, they sold 80 percent of the company to Softbank for $1.5 billion, before buying it back in 1999 for $450 million.[1]
Philanthropy
He has supported Erin Gruwell's Freedom Writers and the Freedom Writers Foundation.[3] In 2011, he donated $1.2 million to give every first year medical student at UC Irvine an iPad.[1]
Personal life
He is married with two children and plays drums with his band, JT and California Dreamin'.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The World's Billionaires: John Tu September 2014
- 1 2 3 Rosie Murray-West (19 July 2003). "Business profile: Yin and yang of memory". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ↑ "Kingston Co-Founder Tu Freedom Writers' Benefactor".