Ted Waitt – Leading the Way to Human Discovery

Gateway founder Ted Waitt is an American billionaire who co-founded the California-based computer hardware company Gateway, Inc. After resigning as chairman of the company, he formed Avalon Capital Group, Inc, a private investment firm with various interests in energy, technology, finance, real estate, and health care. Ted Waitt has a thirst for knowledge, so much so that Ted Waitt also established the Waitt Family Foundation, the Waitt Institute for Discovery, and the Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention; with the foundation funding the two institutes.

The Waitt Family Foundation has carried out several projects including a $13 million grant to fund 228 local projects primarily on the youth and education sectors; scholarship programs; the “Digital Divide Fund” a $10 million project that supported “PowerUP”, which is a network of hundreds of computer laboratories with more than 30,000 computers for the use of children and youth in meager-income communities nationwide; and the “Rwanda Gift for Life”, a project that aims to help women become economically self-sufficient through support and training.

Moreover, the Waitt Institute for Discovery is a non-profit organization that aims to advance human understanding of the past as well as secure an assurance of an improved future by means of extensive discovery and deep explorations. Among Ted Waitt’s programs and projects are the following:

• National Geographic Society/Waitt Grants Program – a partnership that supports scientists and explorers through awarding grants to fund research projects.
• Program for Anthropological and Archaeological Studies – which includes the Genographic Project, a 5-year research project using DNA analysis to study human origins; funding the Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA), which aims to explore the origins of civilization in the archaeological record; involvement in the project of the National Geographic Society related to the Judas Gospels; the Dead Sea Scroll Exhibition that includes lectures and a display of authentic scrolls, ancient artifacts, and other scientific records; and the Journey to the Copper Age Exhibition that walks you through the changes metallurgy has brought to the society.
• Program for Ocean Exploration and Conservation – an interdisciplinary research that examines our natural and cultural history through our oceans.

For Additional Information about Ted Waitt:

Watch the Ted Waitt Interview on Charlie Rose.

Read the PC Magazine article about Ted Waitt and Gateway.

Read the Channel interview with the former exec of Gateway Ted Waitt.