John Roberts' Memorial Bursary
Donation protected
We are deeply saddened to share that after a battle with kidney disease, John Roberts passed away surrounded by family on May 15.
John was an engineer, inventor, and serial entrepreneur. Born during the war in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales - John above all enjoyed exploring technology and seeing what it could do. This natural curiosity was the reason why he enjoyed work and never tired of learning. John started work at the Hoover Company, recognized with design awards there, before winning a scholarship for his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering at the University of Wales.
Emigrating to Canada after he married in 1973, John was at the forefront of the semiconductor industry here. He was an early employee at Microsystems International (MIL), Control Data Corporation (CDC), and MOSAID.
Entrepreneurial at heart, in 1982 John founded Calmos which subsequently was known as Tundra Semiconductor. He launched the Strategic Microelectronics Consortium, an industry group where John was able to mentor and partner with a generation of technology founders. From there, in 1996 John cofounded SiGe Semiconductor and SiGEM Corp, taking the latter public in 2000.
Lastly, in 2008 John cofounded GaN Systems which revolutionized power electronics. As Chief Technology Officer, John pushed the technical frontier of semiconductors, being awarded a dozen patents. On this basis, the company raised several rounds of venture capital after which he retired in 2017. John continued to dabble in technology post-retirement, focusing on his passion for high-end speaker design.
As accomplished as he was in his career, he was at heart a family man and bon vivant. John leaves behind a loving family in his wife, Joy, his children, Matthew (& wife Ami,) and Sarah (& husband Timothy) as well as grandchildren Autumn and Eleri, and the cats which he dearly loved, Hudson and River.
A funeral service is planned for Friday, May 21st, 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for contributions toward the establishment of an educational bursary or grant that will be for promising engineering students who plan to start their entrepreneurial journey as John did.
John was an engineer, inventor, and serial entrepreneur. Born during the war in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales - John above all enjoyed exploring technology and seeing what it could do. This natural curiosity was the reason why he enjoyed work and never tired of learning. John started work at the Hoover Company, recognized with design awards there, before winning a scholarship for his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Electrical Engineering at the University of Wales.
Emigrating to Canada after he married in 1973, John was at the forefront of the semiconductor industry here. He was an early employee at Microsystems International (MIL), Control Data Corporation (CDC), and MOSAID.
Entrepreneurial at heart, in 1982 John founded Calmos which subsequently was known as Tundra Semiconductor. He launched the Strategic Microelectronics Consortium, an industry group where John was able to mentor and partner with a generation of technology founders. From there, in 1996 John cofounded SiGe Semiconductor and SiGEM Corp, taking the latter public in 2000.
Lastly, in 2008 John cofounded GaN Systems which revolutionized power electronics. As Chief Technology Officer, John pushed the technical frontier of semiconductors, being awarded a dozen patents. On this basis, the company raised several rounds of venture capital after which he retired in 2017. John continued to dabble in technology post-retirement, focusing on his passion for high-end speaker design.
As accomplished as he was in his career, he was at heart a family man and bon vivant. John leaves behind a loving family in his wife, Joy, his children, Matthew (& wife Ami,) and Sarah (& husband Timothy) as well as grandchildren Autumn and Eleri, and the cats which he dearly loved, Hudson and River.
A funeral service is planned for Friday, May 21st, 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for contributions toward the establishment of an educational bursary or grant that will be for promising engineering students who plan to start their entrepreneurial journey as John did.
Organizer
Matthew Roberts
Organizer
Toronto, ON