William LeGate

William LeGate
William LeGate at the Web Summit in Dublin, Ireland in 2014
Born William LeGate
(1994-09-03) September 3, 1994
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Residence Los Angeles, California, U.S.[1]
Education The Walker School
Occupation
  • Entrepreneur
  • Computer programmer
Political party Independent[2]
Awards

William LeGate (born September 3, 1994) is an American entrepreneur, Thiel Fellow, computer programmer and activist. A self-taught programmer from the age of 12, LeGate was brought to the public's attention three years later when The New York Times recommended one of the iOS applications he had programmed during middle school.[3][4]

Upon graduating high school, billionaire PayPal co-founder and investor Peter Thiel awarded LeGate—then aged 18—with a Thiel Fellowship, a US$100,000 grant given annually to around 20 people under 20 years of age on the condition that they drop out of school in order to pursue an entrepreneurial path.[5][6] The apps that he made have been downloaded over 7 million times.[7]

Early life

LeGate was born on September 3, 1994, in Atlanta, Georgia, son of real estate entrepreneur father and stay-at-home mother. He was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta and is a graduate of The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia.[8]

Career

Thiel Fellowship

Having taught himself computer programming from online Stanford courses starting at the age of 13, LeGate stated in a 2011 interview that he has always had a passion for entrepreneurship.[8] Throughout high school, he created over a dozen iPhone applications which were being used by 1 in 12 American teenagers upon his graduation.[9]

His early success caught the attention of billionaire PayPal co-founder and investor Peter Thiel who awarded LeGate—then aged 18—with a Thiel Fellowship, a $100,000 (USD) grant given annually to around 20 people under 20 years of age on the condition that they drop out of school in order to pursue an entrepreneurial path.[5]

Ponder

Toward the end of his Thiel Fellowship, LeGate began creating the Ponder mobile application of which he was listed as co-founder and CEO. The New York Post dubbed Ponder as the 'anti-Kardashian' photo sharing app[1] with Teen Vogue adding that Ponder is "drama-free. No trolls, bullying, or negativity. Just cool photos & videos." [10]

Tinder co-founders Sean Rad and Justin Mateen both invested in the app, and Justin's brother Tyler Mateen was a co-founder of Ponder.[11]

Awards and recognition

References

  1. 1 2 "Ponder is the anti-Kardashian photo-sharing app". New York Post. 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  2. ↑ @williamlegate (19 February 2017). "I'm an independent... I didn't "lose" the election—I'm worried, as most of us are, about our incompetent leader" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ "Web Summit Day Two: hear from Tinder, Facebook and Stripe". The Irish Times. 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  4. ↑ "Imaginary Chats and Texts When a Quick Getaway Is in Order". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  5. 1 2 "Thiel Fellowship". Thiel Fellowship. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  6. 1 2 "This Year's Thiel Fellows Include A Fashion Designer, A Poet, And A Harvard Dropout". Fast Company. 2013-05-09. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  7. ↑ @williamlegate (18 April 2017). "The apps I created during middle/high school have received over 7 million downloads to date. #ThankYou" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. 1 2 "The Marietta Daily Journal - Computer whiz kid develops iPhone app for games". Mdjonline.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  9. ↑ "The 25 Most Impressive Kids Graduating From High School This Year". Business Insider. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  10. ↑ "This New Social Media App Doesn't Want to Help Make You Famous". Teen Vogue. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  11. ↑ "Meet Ponder, The App Trying to Disrupt Facebook's 'Control of Ideas'". TheWrap. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
  12. ↑ "The Most Powerful Person In Tech At Every Age". Business Insider. Retrieved 2014-09-17.
  13. ↑ "Most Impressive High School Graduates". Business Insider. 2013-06-28. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  14. ↑ "The Hottest Teenage Startup Founders". Business Insider. 2013-09-25. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  15. ↑ "2012-2013 20 Under 20 Honorees!". 21st Century Leaders with the Atlanta Business Chronicle. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  16. ↑ Tedeschi, Bob (31 March 2010). "Imaginary Chats and Texts When a Quick Getaway Is in Order". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
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