Min Kao

Min H. Kao
Born	1949 (age 74–75) Jhushan, Taiwan
Alma mater	National Taiwan University (BS) University of Tennessee (MS; PhD)
Occupation	Co-founder of Garmin
Known for	co-founder of the Garmin GPS company
Net worth	US$2.6 billion (May 2015)
Children	2 Jen Kao

This is a Chinese name; the family name is 高 (Kao).

Min H. Kao (simplified Chinese: 高民环; traditional Chinese: 高民環; pinyin: Gāo Mínhuán) is an American businessman. He is the co-founder of Garmin Corporation with Gary Burrell. As of May 2015, his personal wealth was estimated at $2.6 billion.

Early life

Min H. Kao was born in 1949 in a small town in Taiwan called Jhushan in Nantou. He attended college in Taiwan and received his doctorate in the US.

Career

Before founding Garmin, Min Kao served as a systems analyst at Teledyne Systems. Min Kao graduated from National Taiwan University with a bachelor's degree, then studied at the University of Tennessee, where he earned his master's and PhD degrees in electrical engineering and was involved in research for NASA and the U.S. Army.

In 2005 Kao gave $17.5 million to the College of Engineering of the University of Tennessee, $12.5 million of which was designated for the construction of a new facility. In May 2007, groundbreaking ceremonies were conducted for the new Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. The building was dedicated in March 2012.

External links

• Garmin profile