Robert J. Pera

Pera established his first computer services company while attending high school. That company provided networking and database services to local businesses. Pera also played on his high school's basketball team until a heart condition, which has long since been resolved, kept him home for a year. After high school, Pera attended the University of California, San Diego, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and a B.A. in Japanese Language. He stayed on at UC San Diego and completed his masters in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis on Digital Communications and Circuit Design.
After graduation, Pera, who admired Steve Jobs, secured a job at Apple Inc., where he tested the company's Wi-Fi devices to ensure compliance with Federal Communications Commission standards for electromagnetic emissions. While working at Apple, Pera noticed that the power sour…