Leading tech-industry pioneer, investor to headline upcoming Presidential Lecture on April 30

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Leading tech-industry investor, engineer and digital multimedia pioneer Bruce Leak, the co-founder of Silicon Valley venture capital firm Playground Global, will join Purdue University President Mung Chiang on April 30 as part of the university’s Presidential Lecture Series.

The Leak lecture, titled “Engineering the Future,” is at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 30, in Stewart Center’s Fowler Hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but a ticket is required. For tickets and more information, go here. The Purdue Convocations clear bag policy is in effect for the event.

Leak’s pioneering work has helped define key moments in modern computing, from early multimedia software to today’s most ambitious deep tech companies.

Leak is a founding partner at Playground Global, a Palo Alto, California-based venture firm that supports entrepreneurs working at the frontiers of science and engineering. Playground backs technical founders tackling complex challenges across the future of computing, automation, energy and engineered biology.

He worked on the first version of Microsoft Word while still an undergraduate. He began his career at Apple, where he led development of key Macintosh graphics technologies that helped lay the foundation for QuickTime, the most widely adopted digital video platform.

Leak later helped build several influential startups at the intersection of computing, media and communications, including General Magic and WebTV, the latter of which brought internet services to the television and was later acquired by Microsoft.

His entrepreneurial work reflects a career defined by building teams that are passionate about inventing the future.

At Playground, Leak supports efforts spanning from humanoid robots and AI brain surgeons to reengineering photosynthesis and using the ocean as a grid-scale battery.

When not in the office, he can be found kayaking and paddleboarding along coastlines near and far, looking for rare flora and fauna.

Leak graduated from Stanford University with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.

In January, Purdue announced a four-dimensional connection to Silicon Valley that deepens its research and industry engagement through partnerships with leading technology companies. The presence of Purdue in the Bay Area also is designed to strengthen engagement with the university’s large alumni community there. The announcement was made at and in partnership with Playground Global, which will provide physical space for multiple Purdue units.

About the Presidential Lecture Series

Launched in 2014 by then-Purdue President Mitch Daniels and continued by President Mung Chiang, the Presidential Lecture Series exposes Purdue students and the broader community to inspiring ideas, courageous leadership, and models of civic engagement and civil discourse. The Presidential Lecture Series has had dozens of guests of many viewpoints and perspectives and hosted some of the great intellectual, business and civic leaders of our time. As one of the world’s premier centers of scholarly leadership, Purdue is — appropriately and necessarily — a regular venue for great thinkers across a wide variety of disciplines.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its integrated, comprehensive Indianapolis urban expansion; the Mitch Daniels School of Business; Purdue Computes; and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.