| South African businessman Country: South Africa |
Mark Shuttleworth was born on September 18, 1973, in Welkom, South Africa, to a surgeon father and a primary school teacher mother. From an early age, he excelled academically at Western Province Preparatory School, demonstrating a keen interest in both STEM subjects and classical literature and art. After completing school, Shuttleworth enrolled at the University of Cape Town, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance and Information Systems.
In 1995, Mark Shuttleworth founded Thawte, a company specializing in digital certificates and internet security. The company was acquired by VeriSign four years later for a record-breaking $570 million, making Shuttleworth one of the world's most successful young entrepreneurs. Subsequently, he established HBD Venture Capital in the early 2000s to provide funding to promising startups.
In 2004, Shuttleworth founded Canonical Ltd., one of the first companies to support free software projects. One of its primary initiatives was Ubuntu, a free operating system based on the Linux Debian distribution. Unlike other Linux systems, Ubuntu featured a user-friendly interface while also offering advanced features to experienced users. Shuttleworth invested over $10 million in its development.
In April 2002, Shuttleworth became the world's second space tourist. Alongside a Russian crew, he joined the International Space Station (ISS), where he spent a week conducting research and outreach activities. Notably, he communicated with Nelson Mandela and Michelle Foster, a terminally ill South African teenager, via the Reach for a Dream charity.
Today, Mark Shuttleworth continues to invest in various internet ventures. He is also the owner of a Bombardier Global Express aircraft, which features Norman the Dragonfly, the mascot of HBD Venture Capital, on its tail. Shuttleworth's philosophy is that "having a purpose is having something worth striving for, worth living for."