Anastasios Kyriakides

Anastasios "Takis" Kyriakides
Born (1946-12-17) December 17, 1946 (age 77)
Athens, Greece
Alma materFlorida International University
Occupation(s)CEO and founder, netTALK Maritime
SpouseMaria Kyriakides[1]

Anastasios "Takis" Kyriakides (born December 17, 1946) is a Greek-American businessman and inventor who is the founder and chief executive officer of NT Connect Holdings Inc. Kyriakides holds several patents[2] and has founded a number of companies, including Lexicon Corporation, Mylex Corporation, Regency Cruises Line,[3] netTALK CONNECT,[3] and netTALK Maritime.

Biography

Early life and education

Anastasios Kyriakides was born in Athens, Greece, on December 17, 1946. He later[when?] immigrated to the United States, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Florida International University in 1975.[4]

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.[5] In 1978, he appeared as a guest on The Merv Griffin Show[6] to discuss his invention.

In 1979, Kyriakides founded the Lexicon Corporation, a NASDAQ listed company ("LEX") to further develop and market the LK3000.[3] Lexicon was ultimately acquired by Nixdorf Computer of (Germany).[7]

In 1983, Kyriakides founded the Mylex Corporation to develop and produce the first handheld optical scanner and VGA card for personal computers, and served as the company's president and chairman.[8] Mylex stock was traded on the NASDAQ under the stock symbol MYLX until it was acquired as a wholly owned subsidiary of IBM.[9]

In 1984, Kyriakides and William Schanz founded Regency Cruises, which was listed at that time on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol SHIP.[10] Kyriakides served as its chairman and secretary, while Schanz served as its president. The cruise line's fleet included, at various points, the Regent Jewel, Regent Rainbow, Regent Sea, Regent Spirit, Regent Star, and Regent Sun.

In January 1987, Kyriakides stepped down from his positions at Regency Cruises to found Sea Venture Cruises. He also established A.N.K. Marine Enterprises, a company that would acquire passenger ships, convert them into cruise ships, and charter them to cruise lines such as Sea Venture Cruises. A.N.K. acquired the Taygetos in June 1987, renaming it Sea Venture. It subsequently acquired the Prinses Paola in March 1988, renaming it Tropicana.[11][a] Sea Venture Cruises established a subsidiary entitled Tropicana Cruises to operate daily cruises from Miami to Bimini, Bahamas. In November 1988, A.N.K. acquired the Wawel passenger ferry from Polferries, renaming it the Calypso.[12][b]

In 1991, Kyriakides founded Seawind Cruise Line, and served as Chairman and CEO.

Kyriakides founded[when?] and presently[clarification needed] serves as chief executive officer of NT Connect Holdings, Inc and netTALK Maritime,[13] and is the co-inventor of the netTALK DUO,[14] a consumer electronics VoIP device for making telephone calls over an internet connection.[15]

Accolades

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. [16] [17][18][19]

In 2008, Kyriakides was inducted into the Miami Dade College Hall Of Fame for Entrepreneurship.[20]

In 2016, Miami Dade College Recognizes 2016 Endowed Teaching Chairs: Marisol L. Varela, Ed.D, M.S. - Anastasios and Maria Kyriakides Endowed Teaching Chair.[contradictory][21]

In 2020, Miami Dade College announced the Anastasios and Maria Kyriakides Endowed Teaching Chair and recognized this select group of faculty as exemplary professionals.[22] In 2021, Miami Dade College published: 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 [23]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ M/V Tropicana ship specifications
  2. ^ SS Calypso ship specifications

References

  1. ^ Biography of Anastasios Takis Kyriakides Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "US Patent & Trademark Office".
  3. ^ a b c Resnick, Rosalind (June 1, 1992). "Start-up tycoon is at it again. (Anastasios Kyriakides)". Florida Trend. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  4. ^ Biography of Anastasios Takis Kyriakides Archived August 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "United States Patent: Electronic dictionary with word length responsive decoder".
  6. ^ Takis Kyriakides Guest on Merv Griffin 1978-Part 1 (video). Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  7. ^ Hawkins, Bill (February 1980). "Language translators – more models and new tricks". Popular Science. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  8. ^ "Investor Group acquires a minority stake in Mylex Corp". December 2, 1986.
  9. ^ Crothers, Brooke (July 28, 1999). "IBM buys Mylex, beefs up storage line". CNET.
  10. ^ "Regency Cruises to purchase a 40% interest in a newly formed Panamanian company" (Press release). Recently Cruises, Inc. July 7, 1986. Retrieved May 18, 2011.[dead link‍]
  11. ^ Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1990 P-Z. London, England: Lloyd's of London Press. July 1989. p. 1258. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  12. ^ Lloyd's Register of Shipping 1990 A-G. London, England: Lloyd's of London Press. July 1989. p. 654. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "Maritime". www.nettalkmaritime.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "United States Patent: VOIP Analog Telephone System".
  15. ^ Furchgott, Roy (March 16, 2011). "NetTalk Duo Does VoIP Without a PC". The New York Times.
  16. ^ "Kyriakides Plaza Layout - Wolfson Campus Downtown Miami" (PDF).
  17. ^ Kyriakides Plaza Dedication-Miami Dade College 1987 Part 1, December 11, 2007, retrieved August 3, 2022
  18. ^ Kyriakides Plaza Dedication-Miami Dade College 1987 Part 2, December 11, 2007, retrieved August 3, 2022
  19. ^ Kyriakides Plaza Dedication-Miami Dade College 1987 Part 3, December 12, 2007, retrieved August 3, 2022
  20. ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees 2008 | MDC Alumni". www.mdcfoundation.com. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  21. ^ Admin (December 14, 2016). "Miami Dade College Recognizes 2016 Endowed Teaching Chairs". MDC News. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  22. ^ Riera, Gabriel (October 28, 2020). "2020 Endowed Teaching Chairs". MDC News. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  23. ^ Admin (February 25, 2021). "Meet the Anastasios and Maria Kyriakides Endowed Teaching Chair: Kimberly Carter". MDC News. Retrieved August 3, 2022.