Mark D. Dankberg is a co-founder of ViaSat Inc. and has served as CEO and Chairman of the company since its inception in 1986. Under his leadership, ViaSat has consistently been one of America’s fastest growing technology companies, reaching $1.4 billion in revenue and 3100 employees. As a start-up, ViaSat was selected to the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies three times. After listing on the NASDAQ exchange in 1996 ViaSat has been recognized multiple times by leading business and industry publications including BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortune, Red Herring, Space News, and Defense News for its exceptional performance and growth.
Mr. Dankberg is an acknowledged industry expert in aerospace, defense, and satellite communications, and is the leading visionary for a new generation of high-capacity satellite systems. He has co-authored several military standards on satellite networking, and holds a number of patents in communications and satellite networking technologies. He has participated on Department of Defense advisory panels and was invited to testify before a Congressional committee on high-technology growth companies and IPOs.
Mr. Dankberg has received a number of awards for innovation and leadership:
• 2000 San Diego Entrepreneur of the Year
• 2003 Satellite Industry Executive of the Year
• 2008 AIAA Communications Award
• 2012 Satellite Research & Markets Visionary
• 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Innovator
• 2015 SSPI Hall of Fame
He has also been an invited speaker on communication technology, entrepreneurship, and executive management at several universities including Rice University, NYU, and University of California at San Diego. He was a founding member of the board of directors of the San Diego Telecom Council (now CommNexus), and served on the San Diego County Regional Economic Advisory Board. In addition, he has been invited to serve as a judge several times at the local and national levels for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program.
Mr. Dankberg began his career with the Collins Radio Division of Rockwell International, and at Linkabit Corp in San Diego, where he held positions in engineering and management.
He earned BSEE and MEE degrees from Rice University and is a member of the Rice University Electrical and Computer Engineering Hall of Fame.
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