In 1983, Gates received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from California State University, Northridge and then completed the MBA program at Pepperdine University in 1990 at the age of 27 while co-founding his first company, Xircom, with fellow entrepreneur Kirk Mathews.
11 Facts About Dirk Gates
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Dirk Gates served as Xircom's president after its launch in November 1988, became chief executive officer in 1991, and in 1995, he became chairman of the company.
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In March 2001, after 13 years in operation, Dirk Gates negotiated the sale of Xircom to Intel Corporation for US$748 million.
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Dirk Gates served as vice president and general manager of mobile communications at Intel and then went on to co-found Xirrus, a Wi-Fi technology company, in early 2004 with Patrick Parker and Steve DeGennaro.
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Dirk Gates served as the Chief Executive Officer of Xirrus until June 2012, at which point he assumed the role of Executive Chairman.
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In 1992, Dirk Gates was honored as High Technology Entrepreneur of the Year for the Greater Los Angeles area and in 1994, made Forbes Magazine's Whiz Kid list of the five youngest CEOs of the Best small Companies in America.
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Dirk appeared on the Dylan Ratigan show on MSNBC in September 2010 and in January 2011, Gates was featured in a Kym McNicholas segment on ForbesTV.
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Dirk Gates has given countless speeches and presentations on Wi-Fi including the keynote address at Interop New York 2010.
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Dirk Gates has been a member of the CSUN Foundation Board, has served as Chairman of the Viewpoint School Board of Trustees, and is a member of the Pepperdine Board of Visitors.
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In 1997, Dirk Gates donated $1 million of his personal funds to CSUN and Pepperdine University to express his gratitude for the knowledge he acquired during his schooling.
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Dirk Gates is an avid member of the high-power rocketry community, frequently flying large model rockets in California and Nevada.