Mike Lazaridis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Lazaridis
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Lazaridis in 2014
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| 8th Chancellor of the University of Waterloo | |
| In office 2003–2009 |
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| Preceded by | Val O'Donovan |
| Succeeded by | Prem Watsa |
| President/Vice Chancellor | David Johnston |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mihal Lazaridis
March 14, 1961 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Alma mater | University of Waterloo (dropped out in 1984, honorary degree in 2000) |
| Occupation | Founder & Managing Partner, Quantum Valley Investments Founder, BlackBerry Limited |
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Mihal "Mike" Lazaridis (born March 14, 1961) is a Greek Canadian businessman. He is well-known as a co-founder of Research In Motion, the company that created the BlackBerry wireless device. Mike Lazaridis is also a big investor in quantum computing technologies, which are about using the strange rules of tiny particles to solve complex problems.
He served as co-chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerry from 1984 to 2012. He also believes that basic science can change the world for the better. In 2013, he started Quantum Valley Investments with his childhood friend and BlackBerry co-founder, Douglas Fregin. This company helps new ideas in quantum information science grow into real products. Mike Lazaridis also founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in 1999 and the Institute for Quantum Computing in 2002. He was also a chancellor of the University of Waterloo.
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Early Life and Discoveries
Mike Lazaridis was born in Istanbul, Turkey. His family moved to Canada in 1966 when he was five years old, settling in Windsor, Ontario. When he was 12, he won a special prize from the Windsor Public Library. He earned it by reading every single science book in the library! This shows how much he loved science from a young age.
Building a Career in Tech
In 1979, Mike Lazaridis began studying electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Waterloo. In 1984, he got a contract from General Motors (GM) to create a special computer display system for their network. He left university that year, just before he was supposed to graduate, to work on this project.
With the GM contract, a small government grant, and a loan from his parents, Mike Lazaridis, Mike Barnstijn, and Douglas Fregin started their company, Research In Motion (RIM). One of their first big successes was developing barcode technology for film. RIM used the money from this to research wireless data transmission. This research eventually led to the first BlackBerry wireless mobile device in 1999, and a more popular version in 2002.
Giving Back: Philanthropy
Mike Lazaridis is also known for his generous donations to science and education. In 2000, he founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and gave over $170 million to it. This institute is a leading center for studying the fundamental laws of the universe.
In 2002, he and his wife, Ophelia, founded the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo. They donated over $100 million to this institute, which focuses on quantum science. In 2015, Mike Lazaridis gave $20 million to Wilfrid Laurier University. This money helped create a new technology-focused management institute at their business school, which was then named the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics in his honor.
Awards and Special Recognition
Mike Lazaridis has received many awards for his work and contributions. In 1999, the University of Waterloo gave him an honorary degree in engineering. In 2003, he became the eighth chancellor of the university.
He was recognized as a distinguished Canadian in 2000 by Maclean's magazine. In 2002, readers of The Globe and Mail newspaper named him Canada's Nation Builder of the Year. In 2006, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario. These are high honors in Canada. In 2014, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society, a very prestigious scientific group.
He also received an Academy Award in 1999 for his technical work on a high-speed barcode reader used in film editing. This same invention won an Emmy award in 1994.
Personal Life and Interests
Mike Lazaridis and his wife, Ophelia, are known for their charity work in the Waterloo area. In 2018, they donated ten million dollars to the Stratford Festival. This money helped rebuild the Tom Patterson Theatre, a famous theater.
See also
- List of Canadians by net worth
- List of University of Waterloo people
