Hamilton-raised Kobo founder is new Perimeter chair
Hamilton Spectator Photo: Mike Serbinis, the Hamilton-raised tech entrepreneur who founded the Kobo e-reader, has been named the new chair of the Perimeter Institute. SUPPLIED BY PERIMETER INSTITUTE
By Saira Peesker, Special to The Hamilton Spectator
Mike Serbinis, the Hamilton-raised tech entrepreneur who founded the Kobo e-reader, has been named the new chair of the Perimeter Institute. Perimeter is the world’s largest independent organization dedicated to theoretical physics, and is located in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Serbinis, 47, was born to Greek immigrant parents and grew up on the east Mountain. He attended Sherwood Secondary School, played several sports and worked at his local Fortinos. He is a past winner of Hamilton, Canadian and international science fairs.
A one-time roommate of Elon Musk, he has built numerous tech companies, including Kobo, Critical Path, DocSpace, and his current venture League, a health-care platform.
“In 1996 I found myself in Palo Alto,” he said in a post on Perimeter’s website. “It’s the birthplace of so many transformational technologies, all rooted at some level in theoretical physics. The theoretical physics research that led to the transistor is in fact connected to the mobile internet we know and love today. After a decade in the Valley, founding multiple companies, I saw firsthand the very real, long-tail benefits of investment in basic scientific research.”
Perimeter was founded by BlackBerry creator Mike Lazaridis, who was chair until Serbinis’ appointment.
“In Mike Serbinis, I believe that we have found someone that shares my passion for science and technology entrepreneurship,” said Lazaridis. “With Mike as PI’s Chair … I have no doubt that Perimeter will continue to drive breakthroughs that will benefit Canada and the world.”
Updated on Tuesday, June 01, 2021.