Min Kao was born on 1949 in Leawood, Kansas, United States, is Chairman and CEO, Garmin Corporation. Min Kao cofounded GPS maker Garmin with Gary Burrell in 1989, after the duo led development of the first GPS navigator at Allied Signal.
Kao stepped down as CEO in 2012 but remains executive chairman and a member of the board. The company has delivered over 173 million products so far.
Garmin has brought GPS navigation and wearable technology to the automotive, outdoor, fitness, aviation, and marine markets.
Kao came to the U.S. from Taiwan in the 1970s and got a master's and a Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Tennessee.
Min Kao is a member of Manufacturing
💰Min Kao Net worth: $4.2 Billion
2009
$1.8 Billion
2010
$1.5 Billion
2011
$1.8 Billion
2012
$2.2 Billion
2013
$2.3 Billion
2014
$2.9 Billion
2015
$2.2 Billion
2016
$2.7 Billion
2017
$2.9 Billion
2018
$3.34 Billion
Some Min Kao images
Biography/Timeline
1949
Min H. Kao was born in 1949 in a small town in Taiwan called Zhushan in Nantou. He graduated from the National Taiwan University in Taiwan and earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee.
1989
In 1989, with Gary Burrell, Kao co-founded Garmin, a company best known for Manufacturing Global Positioning System.
2005
In 2005, Kao gave $17.5 million to the College of Engineering of the University of Tennessee, $12.5 million of which was designated for the construction of a new facility. In May 2007, groundbreaking ceremonies were conducted for the new Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. The building was dedicated in March 2012.
2011
Kao is married to Fan Kao. They have a son, Ken Kao, who is a film Producer, and a daughter, Jen Kao, who is a fashion designer. They reside in Leawood, Kansas. In 2011, he purchased an apartment in 15 Central Park West, Manhattan, New York City.
2015
In 2015, Kao donates $1 million to the Kansas State University College of Engineering for building four labs.