Ping Fu (born 1958) is a
Chinese-American
Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from m ...
entrepreneur. She is the co-founder of
3D software
3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the ...
development company
Geomagic
Geomagic is the professional engineering software brand of 3D Systems. The brand began when Geomagic Inc., a software company based in Morrisville, North Carolina, was acquired by 3D Systems in February 2013 and combined with that company's othe ...
, and was its chief executive officer until February 2013 when the company was acquired by
3D Systems Inc. , she is the Vice President and Chief Entrepreneur Officer at 3D Systems. Fu grew up in China during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
and moved to the United States in 1984. She co-founded Geomagic in 1997 with her then-husband
Herbert Edelsbrunner
Herbert Edelsbrunner (born March 14, 1958) is a computer scientist working in the field of computational geometry, the Arts & Science Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Duke University, Professor at the Institute of Science and Tec ...
, and has been recognized for her achievements with the company through a number of awards, including being named ''
Inc.'' magazine's 2005 "Entrepreneur of the Year". In 2013, she published her memoir, ''Bend, Not Break'', co-authored with MeiMei Fox.
Early life and education
Ping Fu was born in 1958 in
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
where her father was a professor at the
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA, ), colloquially known as Nanhang (南航), is a public research university in Nanjing, China. One of the Seven Sons of National Defence, it is directly supervised by the Ministry of In ...
(NUAA).
Fu spent her childhood and early adulthood in China. She grew up during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
, during which she was separated from both her parents for several years.
After the end of the Cultural Revolution, she attended the college that later became the
Suzhou University studying Chinese literature. Fu has related in interviews and in her memoir that she chose to research China's one-child policy
The term one-child policy () refers to a population planning initiative in China implemented between 1980 and 2015 to curb the country's population growth by restricting many families to a single child. That initiative was part of a much bro ...
for her thesis and traveled to the countryside, where she found that infanticide
Infanticide (or infant homicide) is the intentional killing of infants or offspring. Infanticide was a widespread practice throughout human history that was mainly used to dispose of unwanted children, its main purpose is the prevention of reso ...
of female infants was common, as was abortion, even late into pregnancy. Fu said that, after turning in her research, she believes it was passed to a newspaper editor who wrote an editorial on the infanticide of female children.[ Fu has stated that she was later briefly imprisoned by government officials and was told to leave the country.] After this event, she left school, without graduating.
Fu left China and arrived in the United States in January 1984.[ She initially enrolled at the ]University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
(UNM) in Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
but later moved to San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
to study computer science as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...
.[ During her time in ]San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, Fu worked part-time at a software company called Resource Systems Group as a programmer and database software consultant. Following her graduation from UC San Diego with a bachelor's degree in computer science, she moved to Illinois, where she took a job with Bell Labs
Nokia Bell Labs, originally named Bell Telephone Laboratories (1925–1984),
then AT&T Bell Laboratories (1984–1996)
and Bell Labs Innovations (1996–2007),
is an American industrial research and scientific development company owned by mult ...
.[ The company offered a Ph.D assistance program, through which Fu enrolled in the computer science Ph.D program at the ]University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
(UIUC). At UIUC she completed a master's degree in computer science.[
]
Career
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
In the early 1990s, Fu began working at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) is a state-federal partnership to develop and deploy national-scale computer infrastructure that advances research, science and engineering based in the United States. NCSA operates as a ...
(NCSA) at UIUC.[ Her focus was on computer graphics and visualization,][ including projects such as developing the morphing software for animation of the liquid metal ]T-1000
The T-1000 is a fictional Character (arts), character in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' franchise. A shapeshifter, shapeshifting Android (robot), android Terminator (character concept), Terminator Assassination, assassin, the T-1000 ...
robot in the film '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''.[ While at NCSA, she hired student researcher ]Marc Andreessen
Marc Lowell Andreessen ( ; born July 9, 1971) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and software engineer. He is the co-author of Mosaic, the first widely used web browser; co-founder of Netscape; and co-founder and general partner of Silicon ...
and was his supervisor on the project developing NCSA's Mosaic
A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...
, an early multimedia web browser credited with popularizing the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...
.[ According to her supervisor, Joseph Hardin, Fu was one of the managers involved in the discussions from which the idea for the browser was developed.] In 1994 Ping took a temporary position at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Clear Water Bay Peninsula, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991 by the British Hong Kong Government, it was the territory's third institution ...
, returning to NCSA in 1995.
Geomagic
In 1996, Marc Andreessen's success with his own company, Netscape
Netscape Communications Corporation (originally Mosaic Communications Corporation) was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was onc ...
, inspired UIUC to encourage entrepreneurship and Fu developed the idea for a company that would combine manufacturing and digital technology, including 3D modeling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of any surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, an ...
software, the concept of which she called the "Personal Factory". She founded Geomagic
Geomagic is the professional engineering software brand of 3D Systems. The brand began when Geomagic Inc., a software company based in Morrisville, North Carolina, was acquired by 3D Systems in February 2013 and combined with that company's othe ...
with her then-husband, Herbert Edelsbrunner
Herbert Edelsbrunner (born March 14, 1958) is a computer scientist working in the field of computational geometry, the Arts & Science Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Duke University, Professor at the Institute of Science and Tec ...
, whose research formed the basis for the initial software to be developed by the company. In 1997, she left the NCSA to begin operations at Geomagic, taking on the role of CEO.[ The company was originally named Raindrop Geomagic][ and was based in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.][ It was founded with the aim of developing 3D imaging software that could enable customized manufacturing using 3D printers.][ Initially, Fu and Edelsbrunner funded Geomagic themselves, along with investment from Fu's sister Hong and her husband, and later from a group of ]angel investor
An angel investor (also known as a business angel, informal investor, angel funder, private investor, or seed investor) is an individual who provides capital for a business or businesses start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or owners ...
s.[
In 1999, Fu relocated Geomagic from Illinois to the ]Research Triangle Park
Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States, occupying in North Carolina and hosting more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers.
The facility is named for its location relative to the three surrounding cities ...
, North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. That year, Franklin Street Partners committed to invest $6.5 million in Geomagic.[ Fu then hired an experienced executive as CEO who ran Geomagic for two years before stepping down when the company was close to bankruptcy.][ Fu returned to the role of CEO in 2001, investing her own money into Geomagic and working without a salary in order to continue paying the company's employees. She was able to lead Geomagic back to stability, gaining a significant contract with ]Align Technology
Align Technology is an American manufacturer of 3D digital scanners and Invisalign clear aligners used in orthodontics. It is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company manufactures the aligners in Juarez, Mexico and its scanners in Israel an ...
, and Geomagic returned to profitability over the following two years.[
From 2001 to 2003, Geomagic's sales tripled under Fu's leadership.][ The company became known as a leader in digital shape sampling and processing.] After she and Edelsbrunner divorced, he continued to serve as an advisor at Geomagic.
In February 2013, Fu sold Geomagic to 3D Systems Corporation, a 3D printing company. She became the Chief Strategy Officer and Vice-President of 3D Systems.
Other roles
In addition to leading Geomagic, Fu has held a number of advisory roles relating to technology and entrepreneurship and with charitable organizations. She has served on the U.S. National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship since 2010 and is also a member of the National Council on Women in Technology. In 2012, she was appointed to the board of the Long Now Foundation
The Long Now Foundation, established in 1996, is an American non-profit organization based in San Francisco that seeks to start and promote a long-term cultural institution. It aims to provide a counterpoint to what it views as today's "faster ...
, a non-profit organization focused on long-term thinking and enduring technology. She also serves on the board of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
, the board of Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainme ...
and is an advisor at Modern Meadow, an organization focused on tissue engineering.
Memoir
On December 31, 2012, Fu published a memoir, ''Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds''. Co-authored with MeiMei Fox, the book told the stories of her life, from her early childhood in China to her experiences as an entrepreneur, including founding and leading Geomagic. The book received positive reviews from outlets including ''The Wall Street Journal'' and Oprah.com.[
Beginning in January 2013, commentors in the Amazon.com reviews for the memoir began posting critical reviews, accusing Fu of lying about events in her past.][ Around the same time, first in English,][ then in Chinese ] on ''Forbes China'', ''Forbes'' published an interview with Fu that discussed Fu's memoir and her early life, which contained an inaccurate interpretation of where Ping Fu lived during the cultural revolution. Chinese netizens
The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and ''citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general. responded to the piece with criticisms regarding alleged fabrication of events and inconsistencies in media coverage of Fu, which raised questions in the media about the veracity of details included in the memoir. Chinese blogger Fang Zhouzi
Fang Shimin (), better known by his pen name Fang Zhouzi (; born 28 September 1967), is a Chinese popular science writer who is primarily known for his campaign against pseudoscience and fraud in China. President and co-director of ''New Th ...
was among the critics and he later raised further questions and criticisms based on earlier media coverage of Fu.[ Following the initial criticisms from Fang Zhouzi and other critics, commentors appearing to be non-native English speakers knowledgeable about Chinese history posted hundreds of negative comments in the memoir's Amazon.com reviews, leading ''The Daily Beast'' and ''New York Times'' ] to conclude that Ping was the subject of an online attack.
Fu responded to the criticisms through a public statement, and a post on the ''Huffington Post'' website answering questions that were raised about her childhood, education and being forced to leave China. She acknowledged that there were some inaccuracies in the book. She also acknowledged that the Red Guard atrocity she related in the memoir and media interviews regarding a teacher being pulled apart by four horses may have been an emotional memory, the result of hearing tales of such barbarity in old China as a child and having nightmares about it, or seeing it in a movie, rather than actually seeing it. In response to questions about accuracy of details in the book, her publisher stated that the book is a memoir, rather than a journalistic account of the Cultural Revolution.[ Fu has said that a second print of the memoir will correct inaccuracies that have been pointed out.][
]
Awards and recognitions
For her work with Geomagic, Fu has received a number of awards. In 2003 she was named the Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...
"Entrepreneur of the Year" for the Carolinas and received the Entrepreneurial Inspiration Award from North Carolina's Council for Entrepreneurial Development.[ The following year, '']Fast Company
''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year.
History
''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
'' named her a 2004 "Fast 50" winner.[ In 2005, '' Inc.'' magazine named Ping its "Entrepreneur of the Year".][
The America China Business Women’s Alliance awarded Fu its "Business Innovation Award" in 2008] and she received the 2010 "Leadership Award" from the CAD Society. The next year, she was given a "Lifetime Achievement" award by the ''Triangle Business Journal
American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...
''.[ In 2011 she was given the William C. Friday Award at North Carolina State University,] and in 2012, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. It is a successor to the Immigration and Naturalizati ...
named Fu as an "Outstanding American by Choice".
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fu, Ping
1958 births
Living people
American autobiographers
American women chief executives
American technology company founders
American women company founders
Businesspeople from Nanjing
Chinese refugees
Refugees in the United States
University of San Diego alumni
American women computer scientists
American computer scientists
Women Internet pioneers
21st-century American memoirists
21st-century American women writers
American women memoirists
American technology chief executives
Writers from Nanjing
Chinese emigrants to the United States