Anastasios "Takis" Kyriakides (born December 17, 1946) is a
Greek-American businessman and inventor who is the
founder
Founder or Founders may refer to:
Places
*Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium
* Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...
and chief executive officer of NT Connect Holdings Inc. Kyriakides holds several patents and has founded a number of companies, including Lexicon Corporation,
Mylex Corporation,
Regency Cruises Line,
netTALK CONNECT
and netTALK Maritime.
Early life and education
Anastasios Kyriakides was born in
Athens,
Greece, on December 17, 1946, and later immigrated to the United States, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in business from
Florida International University in 1975.
Career
In the 1970s, Kyriakides invented and
patented the LK3000, the first
handheld language translation machine, a
consumer electronics device that translated words from English into 12 different
languages
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
. In 1978, he appeared as a guest on
The Merv Griffin Show to discuss his invention.
In 1979, Kyriakides founded the Lexicon Corporation a NASDAQ listed company ("LEX") to further develop and market the LK3000.
Lexicon was ultimately acquired by
Nixdorf Computer
Nixdorf Computer AG was a West German computer company founded by Heinz Nixdorf in 1952. Headquartered in Paderborn, Germany, it became the fourth largest computer company in Europe, and a worldwide specialist in banking and point-of-sale syst ...
of (Germany).
In 1983, Kyriakides founded the
Mylex Corporation to develop and produce the first
handheld optical scanner
An image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting or an object and converts it to a digital image. Commonly used in offices are variations of the desktop ''flatbed scanner'' w ...
and
VGA card for
personal computers, and served as the company's
president and chairman. Mylex stock was traded on the
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
under the stock symbol MYLX until it was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of
IBM.
In 1984, Kyriakides founded
Regency Cruises Inc., which was listed at that time on the
Nasdaq
The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...
stock exchange
A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...
under the
ticker symbol SHIP, and served as its chairman and secretary.
Regency Cruises was formed by Anastasios (Takis) Kyriakides as founder and chairman and William Schanz as president.
Ships under Regency:
Regent Calypso,
Regent Jewel,
Regent Rainbow,
Regent Sea,
Regent Spirit,
Regent Star,
Regent Sun.
In 1987, Wolfson Campus at Miami Dade College in downtown Miami dedicated The Kyriakides Plaza to the family in honor of his philanthropic efforts to the college.
In 1991, Kyriakides Founded Seawind Cruise line, and served as Chairman and CEO.
In 1995, Kyriakides Founded Tropicana Cruises, the only ship to visit Bimini on a daily basis.
Meet the Anastasios and Maria Kyriakides Endowed Teaching Chair: Kimberly Carter - The Miami Dade College (MDC) Endowed Teaching Chair is annual program recognizes outstanding faculty who continuously strive to accomplish MDC’s mission
In 2008, Kyriakides was inducted into the Miami Dade College Hall Of Fame for Entrepreneurship
Kyriakides founded and presently serves as chief executive officer of NT Connect Holdings, Inc and netTALK Maritime, and is the co-inventor of the netTALK DUO, a
consumer electronics VoIP device for making telephone calls over an internet connection. More information can be found at Kyriakides biography online
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyriakides, Anastasios
1946 births
Living people
American technology chief executives
Businesspeople from Miami
Florida International University alumni