In September 2003, Allen founded the Allen Institute of Brain Science pledging $100 million in seed money to the Seattle-based organization. Its inaugural project is the Allen Brain Atlas, a map of the human brain which will be made publicly accessible. The Brain Atlas is a component of the loosely formed Human Cognome Project.
Starting in 2003, Vulcan Ventures began funding Project Halo, an attempt to apply Artificial Intelligence techniques to the problem of producing a digital Aristotle that might serve as a mentor, providing comprehensive access to the world's knowledge.
Allen is a major contributor to the SETI, or Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence project. He is also the founder of the Experience Music Project, originally inspired by his interest in a museum to house his considerable collection of Jimi Hendrix memorabilia.
Allen runs a venture capital firm, Vulcan Ventures, and has created the Experience Music Project, a museum of music history, in Seattle, Washington.
He owns (through Rose City Radio Corporation) some Portland radio stations. When he heard Seattle's Cinerama movie theater was about to shut down, he bought, restored, and updated it into a showplace for movies of all formats. He is also one of the principal financiers behind the SETI project, having stepping in to rescue the project when NASA stopped funding it in the 1990s.
Allen owns the Flying Heritage Collection.Currently Allen is the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers (an NBA basketball team) and the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He also owns Rose Garden Arena, the home court of the NBA Blazers team. Due to declining attendance in 2002 and 2003, as well as difficulties renegotiating the terms of a 1993 loan, the Rose Garden corporation filed for bankruptcy on February 27, 2004.
In June of 2004, Allen opened the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, located at the Experience Music Project.
Chronology
1953Born on January 21, Seattle, USA
1967At Lakeside Primary School
1971Washington State University, leaves the university a few years later to pursue other goals.
1975Allen and Gates found Microsoft (initially "Micro Soft") in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
1983Allen develops Hodgkin's disease; leaves Microsoft in 1983
1984/5Founds Asymetrix.
1986Vulcan Ventures is founded by Paul Allen to manage his investments.
1992Allen started Starwave, a producer of online content sites.
1998April Allen buys Marcus Cable, his largest investment so far
2000On September 28, Paul Allen is assuming a new role as senior strategy adviser at Microsoft Corp.
2003In September Allen founded the Allen Institute of Brain Science
2004As of this year he is ranked by Forbes magazine as the fifth richest, worth an estimated $21 billion, $5 billion of which is in Microsoft stock.
In June SpaceShipOne, sponsored by one of Allen's foundations, became the first successful commercial spacecraft when it passed the 100 kilometer threshold of space.
Honors and awards
Awarded Life-Time Achievement Award by PC Magazine. Inducted into the Computer Museum Hall of Fame.
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