Mike Markkula

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Mike Markkula (right) with Steve Jobs (left)

Armas Clifford "Mike" Markkula Jr. (born 1942) is a legendary venture capitalist who provided early critical funding for Apple Computer. After his stint there, he continued on to found Echelon Corporation, ACM Aviation, San Jose Jet Center and Rana Creek Habitat Restoration and to endow the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, where he now chairs the Board of Trustees.

Markkula made millions on stock options he acquired as a marketing manager for Intel and Fairchild Semiconductor, and retired at 32. He was lured out of retirement after visiting Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs in their garage. In 1977, Markkula brought his business expertise along with USD$250,000 to buy one-third of Apple Computer. He also brought in Apple Computer's first CEO, Michael Scott, then took the job himself from 1981 to 1983. Markkula stayed on the board of directors of Apple until 1996, when a new board was formed by Steve Jobs.

Wozniak, who virtually single-handedly invented the first two Apple computers, credits Markkula for the success of Apple more than himself [link].

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Key figures of Apple Computer history
Steve Jobs - Steve Wozniak - Mike Markkula - Jef Raskin - Andy Hertzfeld - Bill Atkinson - Susan Kare - Jean-Louis Gassée - John Sculley - Jonathan Ive - Gil Amelio - Avie Tevanian

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