Ray King

Raymond "Ray" King (born 1964) is an American entrepreneur and co-founder of multiple companies including AboutUs.org and Top Level Design, as well as the ICANNWiki project.

Early life, education and career King was born in 1964 to Kenneth, an architect, and Yien-Koo. He graduated from The Bronx High School of Science in June 1982. In an interview with The New York Times, King said:

We began thinking about what we wanted to do when we left school. We had taken computer courses, and we knew enough about them to know that we could develop something ... We designed a sign offering classes in basic computer language, how computers could be used for small business and the basic software, and we began putting them up on lampposts and in grocery stores near our homes. He later recalled: "We approached people at Grand Central Station and convinced them to come take our courses. We were written up in The New York Times. I made enough money to pay for one year of college at MIT." a company that sold accounting, billing, and project management software to architecture and engineering firms.

After relocating to Portland, Oregon to live in a city where he could bike to work, and enjoy a higher quality of living, It took in $7.8 million in invested capital and partnered with several of the largest domain name registrars. King was appointed chief operating officer in 2001. He left SnapNames in 2005 to start his next business venture, AboutUs. By 2006, SnapNames was generating gross sales of $49 million. In January 2009, AboutUs secured a $5 million Series A funding round from Voyager Capital, Capybara Ventures, Northwest Technology Ventures and private individuals, including angel investors Tom Holce and Irving Levin. Within three years, AboutUs employed 34 people in Portland and Lahore, Pakistan. The registry has managed the .design.gay.ink, and .wiki top-level domains.

Personal life and recognition King and his wife Deneen have one daughter named Dakota and collect minimalist art. In 2000, the New York Post profiled their five-level townhouse in the West Village valued at $7.75 million. In 2009, he received the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network's annual award for individual achievement.

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