Daniel Borel

Daniel Borel in 2008

Daniel Borel (born 14 February 1950[1]) is a Swiss[2] businessman and co-founder of technology firm Logitech.

Education

In 1973, Daniel Borel earned an engineering degree in Physics from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, and in 1977 received a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from Stanford University.[1][3] He returned to Switzerland the same year.[4]

Business

Borel co-founded Logitech at his father-in-law's farm in 1981 with Pierluigi Zappacosta and Giacomo Marini.[5] He served as Logitech's Chairman 1982 to 2008, and served as the company's CEO from 1982 to 1988,[2][3] and again from 1992 to 1998.[2] In 1988, he took the Logitech Group public on the Swiss stock market,[5][6] and on the Nasdaq in 1997.[3] He is currently serving as Chairman Emeritus on Logitech's board of directors.[2][7][8]

Other endeavours

Borel was a member of the Nestlé Board of Directors from 2004 to 2016.[2][9] He also serves on the board of Defitech,[2] founded by him and his wife in 2001,[7] a foundation that brings IT technology to disabled people. In addition, he founded[10] and is chairman of swissUP,[2] a foundation dedicated to promoting education in Switzerland.

In September 2010, Borel, a supporter of the collaboration of Logitech and the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, opened the Daniel Borel Innovation Center on the campus of the university's "Quartier de l'Innovation".[11]

In 2019, Borel participated in a fundraising campaign for Unibuddy,[12][13] a London-based peer-to-peer EdTech platform founded in 2016 by Kimeshan Naidoo[14] and Diego Fanara. Unibuddy raised a total of $5 million in its Series A investment round.[15][16] Since then, Borel has continued to invest in further Unibuddy funding rounds and the company has raised $32 million to date including a $20 million Series B round in 2021.[17]

Private life

Borel is married, has three children and seven grandchildren.[18]

Awards

  • 1992: Honorary doctorate from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne
  • 1988: Swiss Entrepreneur of the Year (Branco Weiss award)[2]
  • 2008: World Entrepreneurship Forum's Entrepreneur For The World 2008 Award[19]
  • 2020: Ernst & Young Master Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Switzerland[7][20]

Publications

  • Interview: We've crossed an inflection point – the world will never be the same again. – EY Switzerland – December 17, 2020[7]
  • Interview: Physicists in Industry: Daniel Borel, Co-Founder of Logitech International S.A. – Swiss Physical Society – May 2021[4]
  • Podcast: How Logitech Defied Expectations – Swisspreneur EP #197 – October 28, 2021[21]

References

  1. ^ a b "Daniel Borel Profile - Forbes". Forbes. Archived from the original on 1 January 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Daniel Borel - Nestle Board of Directors Bio". Nestle. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  3. ^ a b c "Daniel Borel - Businessweek Executive Profile". Businessweek. Retrieved 13 February 2010.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ a b "SPG Mitteilungen Communications de la SSP" (PDF). sps.ch. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b Allen, Matthew (April 20, 2006). "Mouse maker reveals how niche players succeed". Switzerland: swissinfo. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  6. ^ "Daniel Borel - Executive Bios". Logitech. Retrieved 13 February 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ a b c d "Daniel Borel". ey.com. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  8. ^ Frédéric Tissot. "Daniel Borel interview". wcsj2019.eu. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Daniel Borel to Retire from the Board of Nestlé". marketscreener.com. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Daniel Borel: "Wir sind zu provinziell, zu wenig international"". handelszeitung.ch. 25 August 2004. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  11. ^ "Logitech eröffnet Daniel Borel Innovation Center auf dem Campus der EPFL Offizielle Zeremonie lässt den Geist der Innovation von Mitbegründer Daniel Borel hochleben". presseportal.ch. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Student Recruitment Platform: Built for Higher Ed". Unibuddy. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  13. ^ Gavin Jackson (18 June 2017). "Clever finance course mates offer helping hand to founders". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  14. ^ "30 Under 30 Europe 2020: Social Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  15. ^ "Unibuddy Raises $5 Million in Series A Round to Grow Student Chat Platform". EdSurge. 15 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  16. ^ Viggo Stacey (16 July 2019). "Unibuddy secures $5m Series A funding". The PIE News. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  17. ^ Unibuddy (2021-07-07). "Global Edtech Startup, Unibuddy, Raises $20 Million Series B to Reinvent College Recruitment". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  18. ^ "A CAT CALLED MOUSETRAP How everything clicked for Daniel Borel". boatinternational.com. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Daniel Borel, der Mitbegründer von Logitech, erhielt auf der Evian, die vom 13. bis zum 15. November in Frankreich stattfand, die Auszeichnung "Entrepreneur for the World 2008"". presseportal.ch. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  20. ^ Stefanie Knoll (30 October 2020). "Logitech-Gründer: "Technologie ist die Quelle unseres Wandels"". srf.ch. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  21. ^ "EP #197 - Daniel Borel: How Logitech Defied Expectations". swisspreneur.org. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2023.


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