Miguel "Mike" Bezos

Background

Born September 29, 1945, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Immigrated to the United States alone at age 16 in 1962, arriving in Miami as a refugee. Attended Salesianum School in Wilmington, Delaware, then earned a degree in computer science from the University of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Worked at Exxon for 32 years as an engineer. Married Jacklyn Gise in 1968 and adopted her son Jeff (now Jeff Bezos). Co-founded the Bezos Family Foundation with Jacklyn. In 1995, Mike and Jacklyn invested $245,573 in their son Jeff's startup, Amazon.com, in exchange for 6% equity. This investment, described by Jeff Bezos as representing "a large fraction of their life savings," became one of the most successful venture investments in history.