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William LeGate

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William LeGate
William LeGate at the Web Summit in Dublin, Ireland in 2014
Born
William Christopher LeGate

(1994-09-03) September 3, 1994 (age 30)
Atlanta, Georgia
EducationThe Walker School
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • Computer programmer
Awards

William Christopher LeGate is an American entrepreneur, Thiel Fellow, and computer programmer described by Business Insider as one of the most powerful people in tech.[2] He was first recognized at age 15 by The New York Times[3] for creating the iOS application Fake-A-Text which, as of 2015, has received over 6 million downloads.[4]

Upon graduating high school, billionaire PayPal co-founder and investor Peter Thiel awarded LeGate—then aged 18—with a Thiel Fellowship, a prestigious $100,000 (USD) grant given annually to around 20 people under 20 years of age on the condition that they drop out of school in order to pursue an entrepreneurial path.[5][6]

Early life

LeGate was born on September 3, 1994 in Atlanta, Georgia, son of real estate entrepreneur father and stay-at-home mother. He was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta and is a graduate of The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia.[7]

Career

Thiel Fellowship

Having taught himself computer programming from online Stanford courses starting at the age of 13, LeGate stated in a 2011 interview that he has always had a passion for entrepreneurship.[8] Throughout high school, he created over a dozen iPhone applications which were being used by 1 in 12 American teenagers upon his graduation.[9]

His early success caught the attention of billionaire PayPal co-founder and investor Peter Thiel who awarded LeGate—then aged 18—with a Thiel Fellowship, a prestigious $100,000 (USD) grant given annually to around 20 people under 20 years of age on the condition that they drop out of school in order to pursue an entrepreneurial path.[10]

Ponder

Toward the end of his Thiel Fellowship, LeGate began creating the Ponder mobile application of which he is presently listed as co-founder and CEO. The New York Post dubbed Ponder as the 'anti-Kardashian' photo sharing app[11] with Teen Vogue adding that Ponder is "drama-free. No trolls, bullying, or negativity. Just cool photos & videos." [12] Ponder is currently available in the iOS App Store.

Tinder co-founders Sean Rad and Justin Mateen are both invested in the app, and Justin's brother Tyler Mateen is a co-founder of Ponder.[13]

Awards and recognition

  • In 2014, Business Insider named LeGate, alongside Marques Brownlee, as the most powerful 20 year old in tech.
  • In 2013, LeGate was listed as one of The 25 Most Impressive Kids Graduating From High School This Year,[14] and soon after as one of The 8 Hottest Teenage Startup Founders In The World Right Now.[15]
  • Billionaire PayPal founder and early Facebook investor, Peter Thiel granted LeGate a Thiel Fellowship in 2013.[16]
  • The Atlanta Business Chronicle listed LeGate as one of their '20 Under 20' youth leaders.[17]
  • When LeGate was 15 years old, his app Fake-A-Text was featured in The New York Times.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ponder is the anti-Kardashian photo-sharing app". New York Post. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  2. ^ "The Most Powerful Person In Tech At Every Age". Business Insider. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
  3. ^ "Imaginary Chats and Texts When a Quick Getaway Is in Order". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  4. ^ "Web Summit Day Two: hear from Tinder, Facebook and Stripe". The Irish Times. 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  5. ^ "Thiel Fellowship". Thiel Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  6. ^ "This Year's Thiel Fellows Include A Fashion Designer, A Poet, And A Harvard Dropout". Fast Company. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  7. ^ "The Marietta Daily Journal - Computer whiz kid develops iPhone app for games". Mdjonline.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  8. ^ "The Marietta Daily Journal - Computer whiz kid develops iPhone app for games". Mdjonline.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  9. ^ "The 25 Most Impressive Kids Graduating From High School This Year". Business Insider. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  10. ^ "Thiel Fellowship". Thiel Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  11. ^ "Ponder is the anti-Kardashian photo-sharing app". New York Post. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  12. ^ "This New Social Media App Doesn't Want to Help Make You Famous". Teen Vogue. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  13. ^ "Meet Ponder, The App Trying to Disrupt Facebook's 'Control of Ideas'". TheWrap. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  14. ^ "Most Impressive High School Graduates". Business Insider. 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  15. ^ "The Hottest Teenage Startup Founders". Business Insider. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  16. ^ "This Year's Thiel Fellows Include A Fashion Designer, A Poet, And A Harvard Dropout". Fast Company. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  17. ^ "2012-2013 20 Under 20 Honorees!". 21st Century Leaders with the Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
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