Weili Dai
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
China
INDUSTRY
Science and Technology
TOP ACHIEVEMENTS
Weili Dai is a highly successful entrepreneur in the tech industry. She is the co-founder of Marvell Technology Group, a semiconductor manufacturer, and true to 2016, the only female co-founder of a major semiconductor company. As a Chinese-American businesswoman, Dai has contributed notably to the development of strong ties between China and the United States. She is involved in initiatives that promote women in the fields of science and technology, and contributes to improving access to technology in developing countries.
Weili Dai
Weili Dai
Career
Aside from being a founding member at Marvell, Dai also served as the company’s operating officer, general manager and executive VP. Under her leadership, the company became one of the largest in its field worldwide. Dai has led initiatives that involved improving access to technology in developing countries. Before starting Marvell in 1995, She worked at Canon Research Centre America, Inc. where she did project management and software development.
One Laptop per Child and STEM
Dai is a strong supporter of the One Laptop per Child initiative and advocates for women in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). She believes that technology is no longer a small professionalized field for enthusiastic experts only, it is becoming smarter, more accessible and more user-friendly. According to Dai women have an innate aptitude for design and lifestyle enhancement and are therefore an integral part of the future of technology. She also believes that the natural strength of women can be leveraged while embracing STEM to bring about a new era of global prosperity.
Honors and Awards
– Named by Newsweek as one of ‘150 Women who Shake the World’ – Reported on by CNN for the ‘Leading Women Innovator’ series – Received ‘EY Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2004 – Received ‘Outstanding Leadership’ award in 2012 from Upwardly Global – Received ‘Silicon Valley Entrepreneur of the Year’ award in 2013
ADDITIONAL FACTS
- In 2015 Forbes listed Dai as the 95th most powerful woman in the world.
- Dai founded Marvell together with her husband and his brother from their kitchen table.
- Dai is a member of TechNet’s executive committee.
