Min Kao Net Worth

What is Min Kao's Net Worth?

Min Kao is a Taiwanese-American electrical engineer and billionaire businessman who has a net worth of $7 billion.

Min Kao earned his fortune as the co-founder of Garmin, the GPS technology company he launched with Gary Burrell in 1989. Garmin grew from a small Kansas startup focused on navigation devices into a global consumer electronics and technology company known for GPS receivers, aviation systems, marine electronics, fitness watches, outdoor devices, and automotive navigation products.

Min Kao served as Garmin's CEO from 2003 to 2012 and remained a major shareholder, chairman, and board member after stepping back from day-to-day leadership. His fortune is tied primarily to Garmin stock, which has benefited from the company's evolution from dedicated car-navigation units into premium wearable technology, aviation, marine, fitness, and outdoor products. Garmin has remained especially strong in high-end watches and specialized GPS-enabled equipment, giving the company a durable niche even after smartphones disrupted the standalone navigation market.

Early Life and Education

Min Hwan Kao was born in 1949 in Zhushan, Taiwan. He studied electrical engineering at National Taiwan University before moving to the United States for graduate school. Kao earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1974 and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1977.

His engineering background was central to his later success. Before Garmin, Kao worked on research and technical projects connected to NASA and the U.S. Army. He also held engineering and systems roles at companies including Teledyne Systems, Magnavox Advanced Products, King Radio Corporation, and AlliedSignal.

Founding Garmin

Kao met Gary Burrell while working in the navigation and avionics world. Burrell was a veteran engineer and executive, while Kao brought deep technical expertise in GPS and signal-processing technology. In 1989, the two men co-founded a company originally called ProNav in Lenexa, Kansas. The company was later renamed Garmin, a combination of the names Gary and Min.

Garmin's early products were aimed at aviation, marine, and military-style navigation uses. Its first major product, the GPS 100, was designed for boaters and helped show there was a commercial market for compact GPS navigation devices. The company later expanded into aviation systems, handheld GPS units, automotive navigation, outdoor gear, marine products, and eventually fitness wearables.

Getty Images

Growth of Garmin

Garmin went public in 2000 and became one of the best-known technology companies associated with consumer GPS. The company's portable car-navigation units became hugely popular in the 2000s, before smartphones changed that market. Rather than fading, Garmin successfully repositioned itself around premium categories where dedicated hardware still mattered.

The company expanded into running watches, cycling computers, marine electronics, aviation avionics, outdoor adventure watches, and professional-grade GPS products. By the mid-2020s, Garmin was generating billions of dollars in annual revenue and competing in high-end wearables, fitness, aviation, marine, and wellness technology.

Kao stepped down as CEO in 2012 but remained closely associated with the company as chairman. In 2011, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for his leadership in developing and commercializing compact GPS navigation devices.

Philanthropy

Kao has been a significant donor to engineering education. In 2005, he donated $17.5 million to the University of Tennessee's College of Engineering, with a large portion going toward the Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building. The building was later dedicated in 2012.

He has also donated to engineering programs in Kansas, including gifts to the University of Kansas and Kansas State University. His philanthropy has generally reflected the same focus that shaped his career: electrical engineering, computer science, research, and technical education.

Personal Life

Kao is married to Fan Kao. They have two children, including film producer Ken Kao and fashion designer Jen Kao. He has lived in the Kansas City area and has also owned property in New York City.

Compared with many technology billionaires, Kao has maintained a relatively low public profile. His legacy is tied less to celebrity entrepreneurship and more to engineering execution. Along with Gary Burrell, he helped bring GPS technology out of specialized military, aviation, and marine uses and into everyday life.

Who's Richer?

Min
Kao

Compare!

Gary
Burrell