Peter Diamandis

Peter-Diamandis-Headshot

Peter Diamandis

Peter H. Diamandis (born May 20, 1961) is a Greek-American engineer, physician, and entrepreneur best known for being the founder and chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, co-founder and executive chairman of Singularity University, and co-author of the books Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think and Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World.

Early Life and Education

Diamandis was born in The Bronx, New York City, to Greek immigrant parents. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he received a degree in aerospace engineering. He later earned an M.D. from Harvard Medical School.

Career

XPRIZE Foundation

In 1994, Diamandis founded the XPRIZE Foundation, an organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit humanity. The foundation's first competition, the Ansari XPRIZE, was a $10 million prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks.

Singularity University

Diamandis co-founded Singularity University in 2008 along with Ray Kurzweil. The institution offers educational programs and a business incubator, focusing on scientific progress and "exponential" technologies.

Books

Diamandis co-authored Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think with Steven Kotler in 2012. The book discusses how technological advances are making resources more abundant. In 2015, they co-authored Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World, which serves as a guide for entrepreneurs to leverage exponential technologies.

Personal Life

Diamandis is married and has two children. He is an advocate for space exploration and has been involved in various space-related ventures, including Space Adventures and Planetary Resources.

Awards and Recognition

Diamandis has received numerous awards for his contributions to science, technology, and entrepreneurship, including the Heinlein Prize for Advances in Space Commercialization and the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

See Also

• XPRIZE Foundation
• Singularity University
• Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
• Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World
• Space exploration
• Technological innovation