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As co-founder of both Activision and
Accolade Bob broke new ground in his game design as
well as entrepreneurial ventures. Activision became the
first independent video game company to design and
market games for a variety of video game systems, going
public in 1983. Accolade became his second start-up
where he showed his talent in computer game design
while also demonstrating his knowledge and skills in
game development as an Executive Vice President. Bob
with his behind-the-scenes, self-effacing, team-player
style has proven to be one of the truly refreshing
Silicon Valley entrepreneurial success stories.
Only out of college just two years, Bob was one of the
first game programmers recruited by Atari to design
some of the initial cartridges of the Atari VCS (Atari
2600). Just prior, Mr. Whitehead's degree at San Jose
State University in Computer Mathematics gave him
enough computer-related "brownie points" to easily find
a government-related programming job, recruited right
out of school to work on voice and pattern recognition.
However, game design was to become his "natural"
calling, with hit games, innovative technical skills,
hard work, and quick results becoming his
trademarks.
Bob's professional life would abruptly give way to his
personal passions. In 1987, while in the middle of a
great career in the entertainment software industry, at
the age of 33, he would retire, for the first time, as
a gamer and pursue his non-secular passions. For the
next four years he and his wife, Karron, worked with
low income, inner-city families, focusing on the
children. Forever changed as a result, his heart's
theme became, "ruined for the ordinary." Even though he
would have a short return to the game business as an
executive, Bob's true passion was helping others who
shared his vision for people in need. After retiring
for the second time, in 1992, he began to work with
non-profit start-ups. Using his business success, Bob
Whitehead has been able to share with others his
entrepreneurial experience and accomplishment, and at
the same time encounter a windfall of godsends watching
new visions being birthed in others.
Bob's latest interests and energies have been directed toward the expanding mobile, cell phone, and online businesses. He has recently worked with the Verizon Developer Community including managing the developer website content, supporting the developer tools and APIs, maintaining Verizon's technical support, and the Verizon Apps store(now closed). With Bob's departure from Verizon, look for more from him in this arena.
Bob and his wife, Karron, still reside in the Silicon Valley and at their young age are blessed to have raised three sons and now have three terrific grandkids.
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