Early Life
David Ross Cheriton was born on March 29, 1951, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He briefly attended the University of Alberta before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia in 1973. He furthered his education by receiving his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in computer science from the University of Waterloo in 1974 and 1978, respectively.
Rise to Success
Cheriton's career took off in academia and the business world. He taught at the University of British Columbia before moving to Stanford University, where he founded and leads the Distributed Systems Group. In 1998, he made a pivotal investment of $100,000 in the search engine project of Sergey Brin and Larry Page, which became Google. This early investment significantly contributed to his vast wealth as Google became a global tech giant. Cheriton co-founded several companies, including Granite Systems, which was acquired by Cisco, and Arista Networks, where he served as co-founder and chief scientist. He also invested in VMware and other tech ventures.
Key Business Strategies
Cheriton's key business strategy involved identifying promising market opportunities in the tech sector. His focus was on high-performance distributed systems and high-speed computer communication, leading him to invest in companies with innovative technologies. He also has a knack for spotting the potential in early-stage companies. Cheriton co-founded or invested in at least 20 companies.
Philanthropy
Cheriton is a committed philanthropist, having donated millions to various educational institutions. He donated $25 million to the University of Waterloo, which subsequently renamed its School of Computer Science in his honor. Additionally, he has made significant contributions to the University of British Columbia and Stanford University to support research, faculty, and scholarships.
