| Philip Berber | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1958 Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | University College Dublin (B.Comm) |
| Occupation | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | Multi millionaire businessman, Philanthropy |
| Home town | Austin, Texas |
| Salary | Unknown |
| Net worth | $295 million USD |
| Website | |
| A Glimmer of Hope | |
Philip Berber (born 1958) is an Irish millionaire and philanthropist. He is well known for his former company, CyBerCorp, which he sold for $488 million dollars in 2000 and his subsequent philanthropy through his and his wife's charity, A Glimmer of Hope Foundation.[1][2]
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Berber was born in Dublin in 1958. He attended Wesley College, Dublin in South Dublin. Following school, he attended University College Dublin and studied for a Business Communication degree. In addition to Berber, 'The Class of '79' would boast a number of other high flying business and political figures.[3] He was also in the same classes as Dan O'Connell and Brian MacCaba, the latter with whom he would form one of his first companies with in 1984.[1]
In 1984 he set up a high-tech London-based company, Financia, which was bought in 1991 by Frontier Financial of Houston.[4][5]
Berber set up CyBerCorp in 1995. It was one of the first online trading firms for retail investors. He would sell the firm to Charles Schwab in 2000 for $488 million dollars.[6][7]
His net worth as of 2009 is estimated at $295 million USD, placing him within the top 50 wealthiest individuals in Ireland.[8]
Berber and his wife Donna, became heavily involved in philanthropy following the sale of his business. They pledged $100 million in Schwab stock to the A Glimmer of Hope Foundation.[9][10] He is now chairman of the foundation.[9]
He has also donated to his alma mater, UCD, donating money towards their business school.