|
Eckart Wintzen
Eckart Wintzen (April 19, 1939 – March 21, 2008) was a Dutch entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and environmentalist. He was known for founding software company BSO/Origin,[2] co-founding Ex'pression College,[3] and contributing to the success of Ben & Jerry's Benelux,[4][5] Wired,[5] and Greenwheels.[5] In his own words, he wanted to "put technology at the service of inter-human warmth."[4] He died of heart failure in 2008,[5] while on vacation in France.[6] Early life and educationWintzen was born in a fishing village in Holland, and later studied math and physics at Leiden University.[4] In the early 1960s, he served a mandatory stint in the Dutch army, where he first developed an interest in computers.[2] Business careerBSO/OriginIn 1976, Wintzen founded the software company BSO, which was later renamed Origin.[6] In 1995, the privately held company had 6,500 employees and 100 offices in 24 countries, with global revenues above $500 million. The firm's clients included Volvo, Texaco, Eastman Kodak, Procter & Gamble, and Motorola.[2] In 1996, the company merged with Philips Communications and Processing Services, and ready to move on to other ventures, Wintzen chose not to stay onboard after the merger.[2] Ex'tentAfter retiring from Origin in 1996, Wintzen decided to put the profits to good use. He founded green venture capital firm Ex'tent,[7] which offered management and financial support to small companies with philanthropic missions.[2][5] Ex'pression CollegeIn 1999, Wintzen co-founded Ex'pression College, a private for-profit college for digital arts, in Emeryville, California. Initially, the school was funded exclusively by Wintzen, who invested roughly $20 million into the project.[8] Wintzen said his support of the school was part of a plan to participate in the "immaterial economy."[3] Along with the management team, Wintzen actively participated in the development of the long-term vision and goals for the school.[6] AdvisingEckart advised many entrepreneurs, and served on the boards of commercial and non-profit organizations including the Dianne Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Carbon Disclosure Project.[9] References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
