Ed colligan biography
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He was part of creating some of the most groundbreaking products and brands in personal computing.
At Radius, Inc., Ed was part of building the Radius brand to be synonymous with graphics and graphics imaging at the outset of the desktop publishing revolution.
After Radius, Ed embarked on a 16-year journey to define and establish the next generation of personal computing – the handheld computer.
With the success of both companies behind him, he made the bold decision to merge Handspring and Palm in 2003 following a series of leadership changes.
From Pioneering Smartphones to Driving Renewable Energy: Ed Colligan's Unmatched Legacy
He spent most of the 1990s as the Vice President of Marketing for Palm before deciding to pursue his own ventures due to disagreements with the company's new owners.
He played an instrumental role in building out the brand, having worked with the company for over 5 years before joining Palm Computing, the original digital assistant company. Discover more about his remarkable journey and achievements here!
Colligan's professional journey began at the University of Oregon, where he pursued a degree in Political Science.
He is a board member of Inboard Technology Inc., Numenta, Inc., POPS Worldwide, Levered Learning, and Low Carbon.
Ed Colligan
Ed came to Silicon Valley in 1985 to be part of the personal technology revolution and since that time has established himself as a leading product and marketing innovator. A few years following graduation, he dived head-first into the emerging start-up scene in late 20th-century Silicon Valley, establishing himself as the core team member of five groundbreaking companies.
During Ed’s tenure the company shipped the original Palm Pilot, Palm III and Palm V handhelds establishing Palm and the Palm OS as the market leader with more than 90% market share.
Focused on creating the next generation of mobile products, Ed left Palm to cofound Handspring where he and his partners created the forbearer of all future smartphones; the Handspring Treo.
Ed then led the transaction that reunited the Palm and Handspring teams into one company while establishing relationships with wireless carriers globally and driving Palm’s annual smartphone business to more than $2 billion.
The first, Radius, Inc., was a computer hardware firm in the Macintosh era that specialized in peripherals and accessory equipment. Not only is he a board member of Low Carbon, but he also is the Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Americas, supporting the building of large-scale renewable energy projects. He co-founded his first company, Handspring, alongside two former Palm colleagues.
Ed is a board member of Numenta, Inc., POPS Worldwide, and Levered Learning, Inc., and is on the board of advisors for a number of other start-up companies. His visionary leadership and groundbreaking contributions have earned him the prestigious Titans Award 2024. If you are familiar with the revolutionary Palm Pilot, a handheld PC device before this technology proliferated, Colligan worked directly to develop that technology and product strategy!
Reunited under one banner, Colligan wasted no time getting to work.
As President and CEO, he led the growth of Palm's smartphone business to over $2 billion annually and oversaw the transformation that resulted in the creation of the WebOS platform and the Palm Pre line of smartphones. As the CEO of Palm, Ed spearheaded the transformation that created the highly acclaimed WebOS platform and Palm Pre line of smartphones.
Ed now spends his time on the Central Coast of California investing in and mentoring entrepreneurs with the goal of helping to establish the next generation of breakthrough products and brands.
Together, they pioneered the Handspring Treo, a groundbreaking device that laid the foundation for future smartphones. In recent years, he has taken up the mantle of entrepreneurial mentor and investor. Ed was the first vice president of marketing for Palm Computing where he helped develop the original Palm Pilot and the Palm brand.