Min Kao

GPS engineering became the foundation for Garmin

Before Garmin, Kao worked on navigation technology at Teledyne, Magnavox, King Radio and AlliedSignal. Garmin says he led development of the first GPS navigator certified by the FAA, giving him technical experience directly connected to the product opportunity he later pursued as a founder. ^[3]

Kao and Gary Burrell founded Garmin in 1989 after recognizing that GPS could move beyond specialized military and aviation uses. Garmin's history says the pair began with limited resources and a small engineering team, then introduced the portable GPS 100 in 1991 for land, marine and aviation users. ^[2]

The company broadened that technical base into multiple product categories instead of relying on one navigation device. Garmin expanded through aviation, marine, automotive, outdoor and fitness markets, while Kao's engineering work formed part of the original software foundation behind the product line. ^[3][1]

Public ownership turned product expansion into a large founder fortune

Garmin began public trading in 2000 at $14 per share, creating a quoted market value for a business that had been privately built for more than a decade. Kao's billionaire wealth is tied to the founder ownership he retained as Garmin scaled well beyond its first GPS products. ^[2][1]

Kao stepped down as chief executive in 2012 but remained executive chairman and a director. That transition separated day-to-day management from the ownership economics behind his fortune: the core asset remained his long-term economic interest in the company he co-founded and helped engineer. ^[1][3]