David Sun co-founded Kingston Technology with John Tu after an earlier computer business and a near wipeout in the stock market, then helped turn Kingston into a global memory and storage manufacturer. [1][2][3]
An earlier startup supplied experience and initial capital
Forbes says Sun and John Tu first launched a computer-memory business from a garage and sold it to AST Research several years later. Reporting on their partnership says each man received about $1.3 million after taxes from that sale. [1][3]
The pair then lost most of that first fortune in the 1987 stock-market crash, according to Forbes. That reversal left them rebuilding from a much smaller capital base rather than simply compounding the proceeds of the first sale. [3]
Kingston says Sun and Tu founded the company in 1987 during a shortage of surface-mount memory chips. They designed a new memory module to meet the shortage, giving the business a specific product and market opening from the start. [2]
Kingston became the durable source of the fortune
Kingston says the company expanded from memory modules into a global manufacturer of memory and storage products. Forbes identifies Sun as co-founder and chief operating officer and ties his wealth directly to the privately held company. [2][1]
Forbes reported that Sun and Tu sold an 80% stake in Kingston to SoftBank in 1996 and later bought that stake back. The reviewed evidence therefore supports a primarily self-created fortune built through repeated entrepreneurship, retained ownership and long-term operation of Kingston. [3]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 22, 2026.
- David Sun · Forbes · Jul 15, 2026
- The history of Kingston Technology · Kingston Technology
- How Taiwanese Immigrant John Tu Built A $6.5 Billion Fortune From Computer Memory · Forbes · Dec 13, 2020
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