Dado Banatao - My new idol

Banatao (born May 23, 1946, Iguig, Cagayan, Philippines), popularly known by his nickname Dado, is a Filipino entrepreneur and engineer working in the high-tech industry. A three-time start-up veteran, he co-founded Mostron (motherboards), Chips and Technologies (PC chip sets, eventually acquired by Intel), and S3 Graphics (originally 2D graphics chips, later formed a joint venture with VIA Technologies).

On April 4, 2009, he received an honoris causa in Doctor of Technology in recognition of his 

outstanding contribution to the computer industry conferred by the Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology after speaking at the 39th Commencement Exercises in Iligan City, Philippines.

If you’re looking for the Filipino version of Bill Gates, one name comes to mind: Diosdado (Dado) Banatao. Both come from a technical background, introduced technologies that transformed the computer industry, and built hugely successful companies from the ground up. Gates may be the co-founder of the biggest software company in the world and the richest man in the planet, but Banatao might just have a better track record as an innovator and entrepreneur.

Banatao is widely considered a true Silicon Valley visionary. As an engineer, he is credited with developing several key technologies. His new chip set design produced ten times more power at a thousandth of the cost, ushering in the era of the PC - personal computer, making it more powerful and at the same time affordable to millions of people worldwide.

He also invented a new graphics accelerator that is now being used in nine out of ten PC’s. Moreover, he developed the first Ethernet controller chip that enabled computers to link up to and communicate with one another, hastening the spread of networking computing.

But Banatao is not just a prolific inventor, he’s also an entrepreneur. He co-founded three technology startup companies: Mostron, which made motherboards; Chips and Technologieswhich developed chip sets; and S3 which produced graphics chips. In 1997, he was honored with the prestigious “Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award” by Ernst & Young, Inc. Magazine and Merrill Lynch Business Financial Services. Forbes Magazine has often put him on its “Midas List.”

Today, Banatao has proven to be a master inventor and venture capitalist as well. He is one of the few venture capitalists or VCs, that were veteran entrepreneurs. That sets him apart from many other VCs who never ran a business. As the founder and managing partner of Tallwood Venture Capital, he invests, oversees, and sells several technology companies, including Cyras Systems, acquired by Ciena; Newport Communications, acquired by Broadcom; Acclaim Communications, acquired by Level One; Stream Machine, acquired by Cirrus Logic; Marvell Technology Group and New Moon Software.