15 Most Powerful Women in Technology 2012
#14 Weili Dai
Rank 89
Co-founder, Marvell Technology Group
Dai is the only woman co-founder of an American semiconductor company. The U.S.-educated "geek" who hails from China co-founded Marvell Technology Group with her husband, Sehat Sutardja in 1995. The company with 6000 employees and annual revenue of $ 3.4 billion is one of the world's leading producers of "fabless" semiconductors. It has clients like Apple, Samsung, Toshiba and Western Digital. She has a goal to make the California based Marvell, the biggest semiconductor company in China. “It's important for us to stay in Silicon Valley. That's where the entire eco-system of great talent and technologies resides,” says Wei, adding that over 1,600 Marvell employees are based in Shanghai and a second China campus will open soon. She also supports women’s participation in technology, STEM education for girls. An active philanthropist, her company has a major partnership with the One Laptop per Child campaign.
