Min Hwan Kao is a Taiwanese-American electrical engineer, billionaire businessman, and philanthropist.
13 Facts About Min Kao
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Min Kao is the co-founder of Garmin, with Gary Burrell, and has been its chairman.
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In 2011, Kao was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for leadership in developing and commercializing compact GPS navigation devices.
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Min Hwan Kao was born in 1949 in Zhushan, Nantou, a small town in Taiwan.
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Min Kao graduated from the National Taiwan University with a Degree in Electrical Engineering, and earned an Msc and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1977.
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Min Kao undertook research for NASA and the United States Army.
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Min Kao was a systems analyst for Teledyne Systems, an algorithm designer for Magnavox Advanced Products, and an engineering group leader for King Radio Corporation.
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In 1989, with Gary Burrell, Kao co-founded Garmin, a company best known for manufacturing devices that use the Global Positioning System.
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In 2005, Min 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.
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In 2014, Min Kao donated $1 million to the University of Kansas College of Engineering for the building of electrical and computer engineering design labs.
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In 2015, Min Kao donated $1 million to the Kansas State University College of Engineering for building four labs.
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Min Kao spends the majority of his time in Manhattan.
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In 2021 Min Kao was selected by the Carnegie Corporation as a "Great Immigrant, Great American".