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Spokespeople Profiles
Mark Shuttleworth
Mark was born in the dusty gold-mining town of Welkom in South Africa, and grew up in Cape Town. His fascination with technology started at a tender age when he discovered computer games, and not too much has changed in that respect. His interest in science covers an eclectic selection of disciplines, in particular particle physics, software engineering, digital media and biotechnology. While studying towards a Business Science (Finance) degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT), he first encountered the Internet, and quickly became fascinated with the changes it would bring in business and society.
In 1995, his final year at UCT, Mark founded Thawte Consulting, as an Internet consulting business. The focus of the company quickly shifted to Internet security for electronic commerce. Thawte became the first company to produce a full-security e-commerce web server that was commercially available outside the United States. This brought Thawte to the world of public key infrastructure, which is the basis for all encrypted and authenticated Internet transactions. By the time it was acquired by VeriSign in the USA, Thawte had become the fastest-growing Internet Certificate Authority, and was the leading Certificate Authority outside of the US.
Since the heady days of 1999, Mark has formed HBD Venture Capital. The name is a reference to the phrase Here Be Dragons, which was used to describe uncharted territory on early maps. HBD is a venture-capital company seeking to invest in innovative technology companies that are based in South Africa but that have the potential to serve a global marketplace.
He has also created a non-profit organisation that supports innovation in education in Africa. The Shuttleworth Foundation seeks to fund projects that demonstrate a significantly better approach to maths, science, technology and entrepreneurship aspect of the education system and hopes to improve both the quality and the reach of education in Africa.
For more information on Mark, visit www.markshuttleworth.com
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Mark Shuttleworth |
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