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| Drew D. Perkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1963 (age 61–62) |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon University (1986) |
| Known for | Founder of technology companies |
Drew D. Perkins (born 1963) is a serial entrepreneur and is co-founder and CEO of Mojo Vision, a company developing Mojo Lens, the first true smart contact lens.
Early life and education
Perkins was born in 1963. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, and mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University in 1986.
While at Carnegie Mellon, Perkins made several important contributions to the early internet:
- Created the popular CMU PC/IP software package for MS-DOS PCs
- Lead author of the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and contributor to the standard for IP over IEEE 802 networks (e.g. Ethernet) and BOOTP (predecessor of DHCP)
- Began his first "company" and designed what may have been the world’s first Ethernet switch
Career
Entrepreneurial experience
Companies founded or materially developed by Perkins include:
- Mojo Vision, a company developing Mojo Lens, the first true smart contact lens.
- Gainspeed, which was sold to Nokia in 2016. Founded in 2012, Gainspeed raised $55 million in financing from investors including New Enterprise Associates, Andreessen Horowitz, Shasta Ventures, Technicolor, and Juniper Networks.
- Infinera, a public company which was co-founded by Perkins in 2001.
- OnFiber Communications, which was sold to Qwest Communications for $107 million in cash in 2006. Other owners of OnFiber Communications included Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (11%) and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (30%).
- Lightera Networks, co-founded by Perkins in 1998 and acquired by Ciena in 1999 in exchange for 20.6 million shares in Ciena.
- FORE Systems, where Perkins was principal architect from 1993 to 1997. The company was sold in 1999 for $4.5 billion.
- Interstream, where Perkins developed advanced network file server products.
Writings
- Perkins is one of the lead authors of the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), an early internet technology that provided access to the internet via the circuit-switched telephone system.
Awards and recognition
- Perkins (E 1985) received the Alumni Achievement (Merit) Award from the CMU Alumni Association in 2005.
Philanthropy
- Perkins has endowed the Drew D. Perkins Professorship in Advanced Networking and Communications at Carnegie-Mellon University.
Investments
Perkins participated in a $5 million seed financing for RevUp Software in March 2016.
Perkins participated in a $26 million Series B financing for Console Inc. in November 2015.
References
- "Home". mojo.vision.
- ^ "The Drew Perkins Hot Seat". Carnegie Mellon University. May 25, 2004.
- "Gainspeed to Be Acquired by Nokia" (Press release). Business Wire. June 9, 2016.
- Baumgartner, Jeff (June 10, 2016). "Nokia Nabs Gainspeed". Multichannel News.
- "Infinera Announces Drew Perkins to Step Down as CTO and Remain as Technical Advisor" (Press release). Infinera. December 21, 2011.
- "Qwest Completes Acquisition Of OnFiber Communications, Inc" (Press release). CenturyLink. September 5, 2006.
- "Domestic Section 214 Application Filed for Transfer of Control of Onfiber, Inc. to Qwest Communications Corporation" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 19, 2006.
- "Ciena to Acquire Lightera and Omnia". Los Angeles Times. Bloomberg News. March 16, 1999.
- "GEC Agrees to Acquire FORE Systems, Inc. for $35 Per Share In Cash Transaction Valued in Excess of $4 Billion" (Press release). Business Wire. April 26, 1999.
- "RevUp Announces Major Financing Update" (Press release). Business Wire. March 24, 2016.
- "IIX Receives $26 Million in Series B Funding to Accelerate Global Growth" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. November 17, 2015.