Doug Fregin is a Canadian entrepreneur and engineer. He is best known as the co-founder of

Research In Motion BlackBerry Limited, formerly Research In Motion (RIM), is a Canadian software company specializing in secure communications and the Internet of Things (IoT). Founded in 1984, it developed the BlackBerry brand of interactive pagers, smartpho ...

(now known as

BlackBerry BlackBerry is a discontinued brand of handheld devices and related mobile services, originally developed and maintained by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM, later known as BlackBerry Limited) until 2016. The first BlackBerry device ...

) alongside his childhood friend, Mike Lazaridis.

Early life and education

Fregin had been friends with Mike Lazaridis since grade school. Fregin studied electrical engineering at the

University of Windsor The University of Windsor (UWindsor, U of W, or UWin) is a public university, public research university in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's southernmost university. It has approximately 17,500 students. The university was incorporated by ...

. After university, they developed a video signaling device.

Research In Motion (RIM) and achievements

In 1984, Fregin and Lazaridis founded Research In Motion to market their innovative device. In February 1985, they received a $15,000 Ontario New Ventures loan. Fregin played a vital role in designing the initial circuit boards used in the company's wireless technology. Beyond Research In Motion's success in the mobile industry, Fregin was also involved in the creation of other groundbreaking technologies. The

DigiSync DigiSync is a hardware device developed by Filmlab Systems International to allow negative cutters, telecine machines, and ColorMaster to read and log keykode data from motion picture film. It can also be used to capture KeyCode and change emuls ...

film reader, developed by RIM, revolutionized the work of movie editors by significantly reducing the time required for post-production tasks. This technology earned RIM both an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

and a technical achievement award from the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. In recognition of his contributions, Fregin, along with

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

and the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

, received a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award in 1994 for the 'Development of a Keycode Reader'.

Ownership and philanthropy

As Research In Motion went public in 1997, Fregin's ownership stake in the company amounted to 5% of shares, valued at $23.6 million. Over the years, the value of his ownership increased, and in 2005, he owned 2.7% of RIM, which had a value of $396 million. In 2000, Fregin donated $10 million to help found the

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI, Perimeter, PITP) is an independent research centre in foundational theoretical physics located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1999. The institute's founding and major benefactor i ...

. Fregin retired from his position as vice president of operations at RIM in May 2007. At that time, he held a 2% ownership stake in the company, valued at $1.3 billion.

Canadian Business ''Canadian Business'' is the longest-publishing business magazine based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and founded in 1927. The print edition terminated in the end of 2016. Beginning in January 2017, the magazine was published online only. In Octob ...

estimated Fregin's net worth to be $1.72 billion in November 2007. Fregin sold all his stock in Research In Motion around the same time Apple released the first iPhone. * * * * In response to strategic changes at BlackBerry, Fregin and Lazaridis established Quantum Valley Investments, a venture fund, in March 2013. They also considered acquiring BlackBerry and engaged

Goldman Sachs Group Inc The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered in Lower Manhattan in New York City, with regional headquarters in many international ...

and Centerview Partners LLC to review their options. * * *

Personal life and recognition

Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavors, Fregin is known for his low-key and low-profile nature. He is a car enthusiast and participates in Toyota's charitable Pro/Celebrity Race. Fregin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering by the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

on June 19, 2022, for his achievements. He was played by Matt Johnson in the 2023

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

''.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fregin, Doug Canadian businesspeople Living people BlackBerry Limited people Year of birth missing (living people)

Early life and education

Research In Motion (RIM) and achievements

Ownership and philanthropy

Personal life and recognition

See also

Notes