Lars Rasmussen (software developer)
{{Short description|Danish software developer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox scientist
| name = Lars Rasmussen
| image = Lars Rasmussen (26283079181) (cropped).jpg
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| caption = Rasmussen in 2016
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| nationality = Danish
| fields = Computer science
| workplaces = Google, Facebook
| alma_mater = Aarhus University (BSc)
University of Edinburgh (MSc)
University of California, Berkeley (PhD)
| doctoral_advisor = Alistair Sinclair
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| known_for = Google Maps, Google Wave
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| awards = Pearcey Award (2010)
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Lars Eilstrup Rasmussen is a Danish{{cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/look-out-outlook-googles-wave-is-coming-20090529-gdtk6e.html|title=Look out Outlook, Google's Wave is coming|date=29 May 2009| newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald| first=Stephen| last=Hutcheon| access-date=18 September 2018 }} computer scientist, technology executive, and the co-founder of Google Maps.{{cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2017/12/19/bedroom-bpm-meet-the-startup-syncing-music-to-running-skiing-and-yes-sex/#31a426141820|title=Bedroom BPM: Meet The Startup Syncing Music To Running, Skiing And -- Yes -- Sex|date=2017-12-19| work=Forbes}} He was later the director of engineering for Facebook in London.Hutcheon, Stephen: [http://www.smh.com.au/technology/biz-tech/why-i-quit-google-to-join-facebook-lars-rasmussen-20101101-1799q.html Why I quit Google to join Facebook: Lars Rasmussen], The Sydney Morning Herald, 1 November 2010.
In early 2003, Lars and his brother Jens co-founded a mapping-related startup, Where 2 Technologies, which was acquired by Google in October 2004. Rasmussen became the head of the Google Maps team and worked at Google until joining Facebook in late 2010.
Qualifications
In 1990, Rasmussen graduated from the University of Aarhus with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/lars.e.rasmussen?v=info|title=Lars Rasmussen's Facebook page|website=Facebook}} He gained his MSc in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Edinburgh in 1992.{{cite web|url=http://www.lfcs.inf.ed.ac.uk/reports/92/ECS-LFCS-92-201/ECS-LFCS-92-201.ps|title=LFCS report, Approximating the Permanent, Lars Rasmussen, LFCS, Edinburgh|date=1992-03-12}}
Rasmussen began his PhD, working with Mark Jerrum and Alistair Sinclair in the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science at Edinburgh, then moved, with Sinclair, to Berkeley, California, USA.
He received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1998, for his thesis "On Approximating the Permanent and Other #P-Complete Problems".{{cite web|url=http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/Dissertations/Years/1998.html|title=Berkeley PhD Dissertations 1998|year=1998}}
Where 2 Technologies and Google Maps
In 2003, Lars and his brother, Jens, with Australians Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma, co-founded Where 2 Technologies, a mapping-related start-up in Sydney, Australia. This company was bought by Google in October 2004, to create Google Maps.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fx4z0ZrSW0|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/1fx4z0ZrSW0|archive-date=2021-12-21|url-status=live|title=Video: Lars Rasmussen on creating Google Maps|website=YouTube }}{{cbignore}} The four of them were subsequently employed by Google in the engineering team at the company's Australian office in Sydney.Sutter, John D.: [https://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/27/rasmussen.brothers.google.wave/index.html The genius brothers behind Google Wave], [https://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/27/rasmussen.brothers.google.wave/index.html] CNN, 27 October 2009. Lars and Jens are also the originators of the Google Wave project.
On 29 October 2010, Rasmussen announced that he had left Google, and was moving to San Francisco to work for Facebook. At Facebook he was, among other things, the engineering director for the Facebook Graph Search projectSullivan, Danny: [http://searchengineland.com/facebook-search-not-google-search-145124 How The New Facebook Search Is Different & Unique From Google Search], Search Engine Land, 15 January 2013. which is a semantic search engine for the social network. In 2013 he and Tom Stocky were listed as number 79 in The 100 Biggest Stars In Silicon Valley by Business Insider.{{cite web
|url= http://www.businessinsider.com/the-silicon-valley-100-2013-2#79-lars-rasmussen-and-tom-stocky-22
|title= The Silicon Valley 100
|publisher= Business Insider
|date= 2013-02-12
}} Rasmussen had been working in the Facebook London office.
Music start-up
On 27 April 2015 Rasmussen announced his departure from Facebook to co-found a music start-up [http://www.weav.io Weav Music Inc] with his partner Elomida Visviki.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/04/27/rasmussen-facebook|title = Engineering Director Lars Rasmussen Leaving Facebook to Co-Found a Music Startup| date=27 April 2015 }}
Lars Rasmussen has since moved to Athens and became an angel investor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/larserasmussen/?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F|title = Angel Investor Self-employed}}{{Cite web|url=https://summits.moneyreview.gr/en/tech22_speaker/lars-eilstrup-rasmussen/|title = Lars Eilstrup Rasmussen Co-founder of Google Maps, Angel Investor, Cο-founder of Weav Music}}
Awards
On 19 October 2010, Lars and Jens Rasmussen were awarded the Pearcey Award for NSW ICT Entrepreneurs of the Year.[http://www.pearcey.org.au/Press_Release_-_Jens_and_Lars_Rasmussen_Win_2010_NSW_Entrepreneur_Award_and_9_Entrepreneurs_Inducted_into_Hall_of_Fame Press Release – Jens and Lars Rasmussen Win 2010 NSW Entrepreneur Award and 9 Entrepreneurs Inducted into Hall of Fame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005010334/http://www.pearcey.org.au/Press_Release_-_Jens_and_Lars_Rasmussen_Win_2010_NSW_Entrepreneur_Award_and_9_Entrepreneurs_Inducted_into_Hall_of_Fame|date=5 October 2013 }}, The Pearcey Foundation, 19 October 2010.
In 2020, Rasmussen was named the recipient of the Green Oaks, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills Chamber of Commerce second annual Stephanie Smith-Howard Volunteer Heart Award.{{Cite web|last=Levin|first=Carol|date=2020-12-16|title=GLMV Chamber presents its 2020 volunteer award|url=https://www.dailyherald.com/submitted/20201216/glmv-chamber-presents-its-2020-volunteer-award|access-date=2021-09-29|website=Daily Herald|language=en-US}}
Investments
Rasmussen has made personal investments in a number of technology startups including Canva, an online design tool; and Posse, a point of interest-based recommendation service.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
References
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Category:Aarhus University alumni
Category:UC Berkeley College of Engineering alumni
Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Category:Danish computer scientists
Category:Danish expatriates in the United States
Category:Danish expatriates in the United Kingdom
Category:Danish company founders