University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The Grainger College of Engineering

Harlan E. Anderson

[title]
To Harlan Anderson for his many years of service to the engineering community through the expansion of technolgy in the private sector by founding and nursing computer industry corporations.

General Partner, Anderson Investment Company, New Canaan, Connecticut

  • BS, Engineering Physics, 1951
  • MS, Physics, 1955

In 1951, Harlan Anderson joined the digital computer laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked on computer development with a coworker, Kenneth Olson. Because they could not interest the academic community in their work on computers, they formed their own company in 1957-the Digital Equipment Corporation. Originally in charge of developing the technical expertise of the company, Anderson later became responsible for DEC’s long-term financial security. Leaving DEC in 1966, he became the technical consultant to Time, Inc. and provided advice for all technology articles published by the company’s magazines. He was responsible for identifying new research areas and advising the publisher on how the information would be presented to public.

In 1969, again setting out on his own, Anderson formed Anderson Investment Company, a venture capital firm. He has founded and developed two companies in the computer industry, Computone Systems, Inc., and Summagraphics. Drawing on his engineering and financial expertise, he also serves as consultant to major computer corporations.

Current as of 1989.