
The Bottom Line – James Lee Sorenson is a serial entrepreneur who has founded and run several large companies in his career, including Sorenson Media. If you have ever watched video on an Apple device or YouTube, you have used his company’s video compression technology. Jim founded Sorenson Media in 1995 after seeing this technology’s potential at Utah State University where it was developed. He shares some of his early interactions with Apple founder Steve Jobs. And he discusses how the company is now making televisions “smarter” by making them content aware. And now Sorenson Media is pushing television into a new paradigm by partnering with local broadcasters in Salt Lake City to make TV viewing a more interactive experience. Jim also started Sorenson Communications in the mid-90’s which dramatically improved the lives of deaf customers by helping them communicate electronically. The idea of “doing well by doing good” has influenced how Jim views Philanthropy. In 2013 Jim donated $13 million to the University of Utah to start the Sorenson Global Impact Investing Center at the David Eccles School of Business.
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