Surya Jayaweera
| Surya Jayaweera | |
|---|---|
| File:Surya Jayaweera.pngSurya Jayaweera.png | |
| Born | |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Harvey Mudd College (Claremont, California) |
| 💼 Occupation |
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| Known for | Developer of PocketGenie |
| Twitter= | |
Surya Jayaweera is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor. He is also the developer of PocketGenie, an embedded wireless application developed for two-way pagers.[1] He has two patents issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office for his inventions.[2][3]
Early life[edit]
Surya attended Harvey Mudd College and received his B.S. degree in Engineering in 1996. During his studies, he helped found the school’s Robotics Design Team and helped with the creation of, Johnny VI, a computer-guided robot that was the school’s first entry into the Society of Automotive Engineers Walking Machine Decathlon. It was also the first entry to successfully complete the course in 1996.[4]
Career[edit]
Before he graduated with a B.S. in Engineering, he chose to pursue entrepreneurship in November 1996. Jayaweera devised the goal for an Internet centric company after he read various magazines in the park. He wanted a portable device which could access the World Wide Web for “immediate access to important yet succinct bit of information.” Two days later, he drove to Las Vagas and attended that year’s COMDEX, a computer expo and computer trade show. Jayaweera pitched his prototype for two-way pagers to the corporate representatives of Motorola, who later signed a deal for his software. His idea was used for the Motorola Page Writer, a portable digital device for visual Internet browsing.
Jayaweera founded Wolfetech with a group of close colleagues from Harvey Mudd College in 1997 from a collective savings of approximately $12,000.[5] Jayaweera's software would later be known as PocketGenie which was the first thrird-party two-pager software that was commercially available for the Motorola PageWriter 2000 and Research In Motion (BlackBerry) devices.[6][7][8]
By 1998, PocketGenie made Wolfetech into a multi-million dollar competitor within the wireless market of Southern California[9][10] and led to the development of other apps: Pi, Sigma, an enterprise application server that enabled companies to create their own secure apps for employees to use, and WolfeStock, a real-time stock tracker.[11] As CEO, he was a guest speaker presenting wireless options at industry trade shows.[12][13][14]
In 2005, Surya founded a second company, GXB Interactive, to provide "an engaging learning tool" for young students. He served as executive producer for the first set of curriculum-based educational software for the Game Boy Advance, Math Patrol: The Kleptoid Threat and Word Safari: The Friendship Totems, in partnership with Tomy Company. Jayaweera presented both games to elementary school students in classrooms with positive reactions.[15][16] [17] Two other IPs, Beat The SAT and One World Spanish, were planned for the Nintendo DS but were canceled.[18][19] Their first independently distributed title is MIDI Piano Teacher MusicMaster, an app released for Android in 2015.[20]
Surya is also a member of the Southern California investment network, Tech Coast Angels. In 2011, Jayaweera was the youngest elected president of the Inland Valley network and served as an Executive Board Member.[21]
References[edit]
- ↑ A Genie Grants Wish for Tiny Web Surfer Karen Kaplan, 8 September 1997 LA Times 23 December 2016
- ↑ Email collaboration manager- USPTO patent Google Patents 23 December 2016
- ↑ Educational Interactive Video Game and Method for Enhancing Gaming Experience Beyond a Mobile Gaming Device Platform Google Patent 23 December 2016
- ↑ Monroe, Robert. "College robotics class to Montreal: Here's Johnny". Daily Bulletin. 24 March 1996.
- ↑ Hermann, David. "Entrepreneur's epiphany engineers success". Inland Valley Times. 21 March 2001.
- ↑ WolfeTech PocketGenie on Channel 7 Eyewitness news ABC News 23 December 2016
- ↑ Hermann, David. It's Your Business: Entrepreneur's epiphany engineers success. Los Angeles Times. 21 March 2001.
- ↑ Extending the Blackberry 23 December 2016
- ↑ Prather, Michelle. "think big Gen Tech". Entrepreneur's Business Start-Ups.
- ↑ New pagers will offer Internet access September 9, 1997 CNN 23 December 2016
- ↑ Commercial Release of WolfeTech Sigma Mobile Enterprise Solution for Motient Network 23 December 2016
- ↑ "WolfeTech CEO Selected to Speak at Networld+Interop and Comdex; Surya Jayaweera to Speak on 'The Microbrowser Wars'..." The Free Library. 2002 PR Newswire Association LLC. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ↑ "WolfeTech CEO Featured Guest Speaker at Software Council Of Southern California's Event..." The Free Library. 2002 PR Newswire Association LLC. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ↑ "WolfeTech CEO Selected to Speak at Japan External Trade Organization Technology Exchange; Surya Jayaweera Speaking on Wireless Enterprise Solutions.." The Free Library. 2002 PR Newswire Association LLC. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- ↑ "GXB and TOMY Announce GBA & DS Learning Games". Nintendoworldreport.com. 7 November 2007. Retrieved 01 December 2016.
- ↑ Calling All Kids to Defend the Galaxy! Math Patrol(TM): The Kleptoid Threat for Game Boy(R) Advance & Nintendo DS(TM) Available Now From GXB Interactive and TOMY 23 December 2016
- ↑ Learning System from GXB Interactive and TOMY Delivers State & National Education Standards to Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS 23 December 2016
- ↑ "Beat The SAT". Ign.com. Retrieved 01 December 2016.
- ↑ "One World Spanish". Ign.com. Retrieved 01 December 2016.
- ↑ Google Play listing. Retrieved 01 December 2016.
- ↑ Tech Coast Angels aims to invest in area entrepreneurs 21 July 2010 The Daily Breeze 13 February 2018
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