Nick Woodman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nick Woodman
Born Nicholas Woodman
1975 (age 38–39)
Residence Woodside, California
Nationality United States
Education B.A. University of California, San Diego
Occupation Businessman
Employer GoPro
Known for Founder of GoPro
Net worth Increase US$ 1.3 billion (Sept 2013)[1]
Spouse(s) Jill Scully
Children 2


Nicholas "Nick" Woodman is the founder and CEO of GoPro.[2]

Early life and education

He earned a degree in Visual Arts from the University of California, San Diego.[1][3] After school he founded a marketing company called funBug but after it did not succeed, in 2002 at the age of 26, he decided to travel around the world surfing.[3]

Career

While on hiatus and trying to capture his surfing activities in Australia and Indonesia on film, he used a 35mm camera attached to the palm of his hand by a rubber band.[3] Seeing that amateur photographers who wanted to capture quality action photos of their activities had difficulties because they either could not get close enough to the action, or obtain quality equipment at accessible prices, his trip became his inspiration to found GoPro.[3] His solution was to develop a belt that would attach the camera to the body.[3] Woodman and his future wife Jill financed the business by selling shell necklaces they bought in Bali (for $1.90) from their car along the California coast (for $60)[4] combined with $35,000 borrowed from his mother.[3][4] His desire for a camera system that could capture close up footage inspired the 'GoPro' name. [5][6] The original cameras he developed were point-and-shoot 35mm film cameras which mounted to the user's wrist. The product has since evolved into a compact digital camera that supports WiFi, can be remotely controlled, is waterproof, records to a micro SD card, and is affordable to the average action sports enthusiast ($200-$400). In 2004, he made his first big sale when a Japanese company ordered 100 cameras at a sports show.[3][4] Thereafter, sales doubled every year[1] and in 2012, GoPro sold 2.3 million cameras.[3] In December 2012, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn purchased 8.88% of the company for 200 million dollars which set the market value of the company at 2.25 billion dollars making Woodman, who owned the majority of the stock, a billionaire.[3][4]

Personal life

Woodman is married to Jill R. Scully[7] and they have two children.[3][1] They live in Woodside, California.[8] Woodman is known as the “mad billionaire” due to his unconventional behavior and eccentricities.[3]

As of 2013, he is worth an estimated US$1.3 billion.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Forbes; The World's Billionaires - Nicholas Woodman September 2013
  2. ↑ "How GoPro CEO Nick Woodman Let Consumers Lead Him to New Idea". Adage.com. 2012-07-09. Retrieved 2012-09-04. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 Jewish Business News: "Welcome to the Billionaires’ Club" by By Orna Taub March 7, 2013
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Business Insider: "Meet The World's Newest Billionaire, A 36-Year-Old 'Surfer Dude' Named Nicholas Woodman" by Alyson Shontell December 23,
  5. ↑ "GoPro with Founder/Inventor Nick Woodman". Malakye.com. 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2012-09-04. 
  6. ↑ Burrows, Peter (2011-06-30). "GoPro’s Incredible Small, Durable Camcorder". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2012-09-04. 
  7. ↑ Inc Magazine: "The GoPro Army" by Tom Foster January 26, 2012
  8. ↑ [http://sf.blockshopper.com/news/story/2500152448-Inventor_spends_12_5M_for_Woodside_5BD, San Francisco Block Shopper: "Inventor spends $12.5M for Woodside 5BD"] December 11, 2011
  9. ↑ Forbes Billionaires 2013: Notable Newcomers
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.