Chip Pearson
{{about ||the politician|Chip Pearson (politician)}}
{{short description|American entrepreneur and business executive}}
{{use mdy dates|date=January 2021}}
Chip Pearson is an American entrepreneur and business executive. He is best known as a founder and former CEO of JAMF Software.{{Cite web
|last=Bridge|first=Author Tom|date=2017-05-10|title=Episode 35: Into the Past with Chip Pearson|url=https://podcast.macadmins.org/2017/05/10/episode-35-into-the-past-with-chip-pearson/|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Mac Admins Podcast|language=en-US}}
Biography
Pearson is a longtime resident of St. Paul, Minnesota. He co-founded JAMF Software (now Jamf) with Zach Halmstad in 2002.{{Cite web
|last=Dunn|first=Darrell
|date=2007-05-31|title=Apple continues to mostly ignore the enterprise, observers say
|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2541421/apple-continues-to-mostly-ignore-the-enterprise--observers-say.html
|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Computerworld|language=en
}}
At the time Pearson owned an IT services company{{Cite book
|last1=Edge|first1=Charles
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1frEDwAAQBAJ&q=%22chip+pearson%22+Jamf&pg=PA23
|title=Apple Device Management: A Unified Theory of Managing Macs, iPads, iPhones, and AppleTVs
|last2=Trouton|first2=Rich
|date=2019-12-17|publisher=Apress|isbn=978-1-4842-5388-5|language=en
}}
that could use the work being done by Halmstad at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to streamline information technology administration. Those tools became a product known as Casper, sold by a company formed to support the product called Jamf Software.{{Cite web
|title=iPad, iPhone Challenge Management Orthodoxy|url=https://www.eweek.com/mobile/ipad-iphone-challenge-management-orthodoxy|access-date=2021-01-29|website=eWEEK|date=March 2011}}
Jamf Software
Pearson ran Jamf with Halmstad until 2016, taking $30 Million in Venture capital financing from Summit Partners.{{Cite web
|date=2012-11-02
|title=JAMF Software Receives Established Software Company Award at the 2012 Tekne Awards
|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2012/11/02/jamf-software-receives-established-software-company-award-at-the-2012-tekne-awards.html |access-date=2021-01-29
|website=CNBC|language=en}} Pearson and Halmstad recruited and hired Dean Hager as the CEO prior to leaving the organization.{{Cite web
|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/morning_roundup/2015/06/jamf-software-ceos-step-down-dean-hager-ceo.html
|access-date=2021-01-29
|website=www.bizjournals.com}} In 2017, Jamf was acquired by Vista Equity Partners and the founders departed the company.{{Cite web
|title=MacIT 2013 kicks off with admin overview, nostalgia
|url=https://www.engadget.com/2013-01-31-macit-2013-kicks-off-with-admin-overview-nostalgia.html|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Engadget|date=January 31, 2013 |language=en}}
Prior to selling Jamf, the organization generated over $52 million in annual revenue, served more than 5,500 customers,{{Cite web
|last=Strauss|first=Karsten
|title=No Money, No Problem: Bootstrapping Off Of Apple
|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2014/11/05/no-money-no-problem-bootstrapping-off-of-apple/|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Forbes|language=en}} had nearly 500 employees,{{Cite news
|last=Wakabayashi|first=Daisuke
|date=2014-01-10|title=Apple Devices Flow Into Corporate World|language=en-US
|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304244904579278560822979176.html|access-date=2021-01-29|issn=0099-9660}} and had just opened its eighth global office. At that point, JAMF had an estimated valuation of $225 million.{{Cite web
|title=How Two IT Guys Turned Their Love For Apple Products Into A Multi-Million Company
|url=http://news.yahoo.com/two-guys-turned-love-apple-190839305.html |access-date=2021-01-29|website=news.yahoo.com|date=December 10, 2013 |language=en-US}} Since the sale, Jamf has grown to over 1,500 employees.{{Cite web
|last=Kapko|first=Matt|date=2015-09-17|title=Why Apple and Microsoft are suddenly playing nice|url=https://www.cio.com/article/2984576/why-apple-and-microsoft-are-suddenly-playing-nice.html|access-date=2021-01-29|website=CIO|language=en}} Jamf is now traded on NASDAQ under the symbol JAMF.{{Cite web
|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2017/04/21/jamf-co-founder-pearson-joins-when-i-works-board.html |access-date=2021-01-29
|website=www.bizjournals.com
|title=Jamf co-founder Pearson joins when I Work's board
}}
Following Jamf, Pearson was involved in the 2017 project DocuMNtary about software companies in Minnesota.{{Cite web|last1=Ojeda-Zapata|first1=Julio|last2=Sep 22nd 2016 - 12pm|first2=St Paul Pioneer Press {{!}}
|title=Minnesota tech scene on display in 'DocuMNtary'
|url=https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/4120827-minnesota-tech-scene-display-documntary|access-date=2021-01-29
|website=Duluth News Tribune|language=en
}} He also runs the Minnesota investment firm Bootstrappers and served on the Board of Directors at software companies like When I Work and Kipsu.{{Cite web
|last=Bort|first=Julie
|date=2013-12-11
|title=How Two IT Guys Turned Their Love For Apple Products Into A Multi-Million Company
|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/it-guys-who-love-apple-make-millions-2013-12|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Business Insider Australia|language=en}}
References
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Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:American chief executives
Category:American businesspeople
Category:American technology company founders