| Eckart Wintzen | |
| Birth Date: | April 19, 1939[1] |
| Death Place: | France |
| Citizenship: | Netherlands |
| Known For: | BSO/Origin, Ex'tent, Ex'pression College |
| Alma Mater: | Leiden University |
| Website: | Web site: Ex'tent . https://web.archive.org/web/20170913060416/http://www.extent.nl/ . 13 September 2017 . dead. |
Eckart Wintzen was a Dutch entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and environmentalist. He was known for founding software company BSO/Origin,[2] co-founding Ex'pression College,[3] and contributing to the success of Ben & Jerry's Benelux, Wired, and Greenwheels.
In his own words, he wanted to "put technology at the service of inter-human warmth."[4]
He died of heart failure in 2008,[5] while on vacation in France.[6]
Wintzen was born in a fishing village in Holland, and later studied math and physics at Leiden University.[4]
In the early 1960s, he served a mandatory stint in the Dutch army, where he first developed an interest in computers.[2]
In 1976, Wintzen founded the software company BSO, which was later renamed Origin.[6] In 1995, the privately held company had 6,500 employees and 100 offices in 24 countries, with global revenues above $500 million. The firm's clients included Volvo, Texaco, Eastman Kodak, Procter & Gamble, and Motorola.[2] In 1996, the company merged with Philips Communications and Processing Services, and ready to move on to other ventures, Wintzen chose not to stay onboard after the merger.[2]
After retiring from Origin in 1996, Wintzen decided to put the profits to good use. He founded green venture capital firm Ex'tent,[7] which offered management and financial support to small companies with philanthropic missions.[2] [5]
In 1999, Wintzen co-founded Ex'pression College, a private for-profit college for digital arts, in Emeryville, California. Initially, the school was funded exclusively by Wintzen, who invested roughly $20 million into the project.[8] Wintzen said his support of the school was part of a plan to participate in the "immaterial economy."[3] Along with the management team, Wintzen actively participated in the development of the long-term vision and goals for the school.[6]
Eckart advised many entrepreneurs, and served on the boards of commercial and non-profit organizations including the Dianne Fossey Gorilla Fund and the Carbon Disclosure Project.[9]