Drew D. Perkins

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Drew D. Perkins
Born1963 (age 58–59)
NationalityAmerican
EducationCarnegie Mellon University (1986)
Known forFounder 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.[1]

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.[2] Founded in 2012, Gainspeed raised $55 million in financing from investors including New Enterprise Associates, Andreessen Horowitz, Shasta Ventures, Technicolor, and Juniper Networks.[3]
  • Infinera, a public company which was co-founded by Perkins in 2001.[4]
  • OnFiber Communications, which was sold to Qwest Communications for $107 million in cash in 2006.[5] Other owners of OnFiber Communications included Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (11%) and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (30%).[6]
  • Lightera Networks, co-founded by Perkins in 1998 and acquired by Ciena in 1999 in exchange for 20.6 million shares in Ciena.[7]
  • FORE Systems, where Perkins was principal architect from 1993 to 1997.[1] The company was sold in 1999 for $4.5 billion.[8]
  • 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.[9]

Perkins participated in a $26 million Series B financing for Console Inc. in November 2015.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "The Drew Perkins Hot Seat". Carnegie Mellon University. May 25, 2004.
  2. ^ "Gainspeed to Be Acquired by Nokia" (Press release). Business Wire. June 9, 2016.
  3. ^ Baumgartner, Jeff (June 10, 2016). "Nokia Nabs Gainspeed". Multichannel News.
  4. ^ "Infinera Announces Drew Perkins to Step Down as CTO and Remain as Technical Advisor" (Press release). Infinera. December 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "Qwest Completes Acquisition Of OnFiber Communications, Inc" (Press release). CenturyLink. September 5, 2006.
  6. ^ "Domestic Section 214 Application Filed for Transfer of Control of Onfiber, Inc. to Qwest Communications Corporation" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. June 19, 2006.
  7. ^ "Ciena to Acquire Lightera and Omnia". Los Angeles Times. Bloomberg News. March 16, 1999.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "RevUp Announces Major Financing Update" (Press release). Business Wire. March 24, 2016.
  10. ^ "IIX Receives $26 Million in Series B Funding to Accelerate Global Growth" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. November 17, 2015.
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