Is everyone excited about the world's first all-civilian space flight at the end of 2021? Well, guess who is the commander of the mission? Jared Isaacman, the founder of Shift4 Payments, is the commander of the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission who also bought all four seats on the upcoming SpaceX mission.
Jared Isaacman is an American billionaire businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and an accomplished civilian pilot. He is the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and also co-founded Draken International. Besides, he is involved in aeronautical practices and contributes some of his earnings to charities too.
Now, without further ado, let's get inspired by Jared Isaacman's story.
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Parents, Siblings And Education
Born on February 11, 1983, Jared Isaacman is the youngest child of his parents. His father, Donald Isaacman, is the Chairman of Shift4 Payments. As for Jared's mother, she wanted him to finish his SATs and keep the college education in horizon. It is reported that Jared's parents helped him to run his business when he was just 15 years of age. Apart from his parents, Jared also had a grandfather who would then provide him financial aid in his early years.
Jared Isaacman's brother, Michael Isaacman, is Chief Commercial Officer in Shift4 Payments. Photo source: Shift4 Payments Official Website.
Being the youngest one among his siblings, Jared was also the last one to start his career in the family. The eldest, Marc Isaacman and Tiffany Isaacman were working on their respective field when Jared was still in his high school. Jared's third eldest sibling, Michael Isaacman, was about to buy a house while Jared was in his teens. "I was very motivated to get their lifestyle and not very motivated about high school life", states Jared in an interview with Forbes.
Career
Jared Isaacman has had a diverse career in his life. From a jet captain to a successful businessman, his investment portfolio is an impressive outline of his works. Let's peek into Jared Isaacman's diverse portfolio.
Shift4 Payments
In 1999, Jared founded United Bank Card, Inc. with his father, Donald Isaacman, and friend, Brendan Lauber. In the next six years, the company revolutionized the integrated payments industry by launching the Free Terminal Program in 2005. Later renamed Harbortouch, the company formed a strategic partnership with Searchlight Capital Partners, a leading global private equity firm.
In 2018, he rebranded Harbortouch as Shift4 Payments, which grew into the leading provider of integrated payments and technology solutions specializing in Hospitality and F&B. Jared's elder brother, Michael Isaacman, is the Chief Commerical Officer at Shift4 Payments.
Draken International
In 2011, Isaacman co-founded Draken International. Based in Florida, the company is a leading provider of mission-critical military flight services. The company now operates the world's largest fleet of private fighter jets.
Jared Isaacman with Draken International team on the headquarter in Lakeland, Florida. Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons.
In 2019, Isaacman sold the majority of his Draken's stake to a firm.
Aviation Career
Jared Isaacman is also an accomplished pilot. Learned flying in 2004, Isaacman is Airline Transport Rated Pilot (ATP) and Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) with in-flight experience with corporate and business jets, military fast jet aircraft, and also in experimental aircraft. He successfully graduated with a bachelor's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
In 2009, he set the world record for circumnavigating the globe, completing 22,893 miles n 61 hours, 51 minutes, and 15 seconds.
Inspiration4 Commander
In February 2021, Jared Isaacman announced that he would be commanding the first all-civilian space mission in association with Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is expected to launch in October.
Jared Isaacman with Elon Musk talking about Inspiration4 mission. Photo Source: Instagram/ jaredisaacman_
Having a childhood dream of space travel, Jared will soon fulfill his ambition to be an astronaut with three other civilians. Musk even told NBC News that Isaacman is a"pioneer."
Net Worth Of Billionaire Jared Isaacman
The tech entrepreneur started his first business at the age of 15. Since his first venture, he has come a long way in his career. He has earned a fortune and is enlisted among the world's prolific billionaire crew in the process. Let's learn about Jared Isaacman's net worth and his earnings.
According to Forbes, Jared Isaacman's net worth is about $2.3 Billion as of March 3, 2021. So, how did a teenage tech geek paved his way through the billionaire dollar mark? It all began with a check from his grandfather.
In the late 90s, Isaacman received a loan of $10,000 from his grandfather to run his first business in his parents' basement. The company was named United Bank Card, which is now known as Shift4 Payments. He began to earn by selling credit-card terminals, and by 2003, he had enough money to repay his grandfather's loan and expand his company in new dimensions.
In 2008, Harbortouch, the futuristic touchscreen that combined a cash register and a credit card terminal in one device, was formed. Within a decade, the company was already generating $300 million in revenues while processing $11 billion a year from 60,000 merchants.
Today, Shift4 Payments processes $200 billion worth of transactions annually, generating more than $700 million annual revenue. With a substantial amount of earnings from the 48% stake in the company, Isaacman's net value has skyrocketed in recent times.
The entrepreneur has also invested a good amount of money in Draken International. The company is the world's largest private fleet of military aircraft consisting of 100 jets, including Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, Atlas Cheetahs, and Aero L-159s. It is reported that Isaacman collected a small fortune training air force pilots through the company. In 2019, he sold a 53.7% stake in the business for $279 million in equity and debt. He then used the sum to buy MSI for around $250 million.
Billionaire Jared Isaacman's profound intellect for tech investments has undoubtedly earned him a place in the World's Billion dollar club. Let's see if Isaacman's net worth would surge or plunge in the upcoming days.
Charities
Apart from entrepreneurship, Jared Isaacman has also put his focus on philanthropic endeavors. Some of his notable charity works are:
- $100 million donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital following its $200 million charitable mission.
- Donations to the Goodwill Rescue Mission for the betterment of the homeless people.
- Raised over $100,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey.
Having earned millions of dollars from his investments, Isaacman boldly spends his money for good causes too.
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Married And A Father Of Two Daughters
Jared Isaacman is indeed a high-profile billionaire, but little is known about his family and relationships. However, digging inside the webs, we found that Jared Isaacman's wife's name is Monica Chacana (Isaacman). It is reported that the couple was in love long before their marriage. Although Jared and his wife have shared hardly any information about their married life, he has spoken about his two daughters in some interviews.
Billionaire Isaacman talks about the Inspiration4 mission with CNBC television. Photo Source: Social Media.
Having a billion-dollar bank balance, Jared Isaacman is assumed to have fancy cars, luxury lifestyles, big houses, etc., by the fans. But, as for our knowledge, the Isaacman family lives ordinary lives in Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey. According to some sources, Jared and his wife are also building a home in Lower Nazareth Township for their family of four.
People all around the world would love to know about the family of the first civilian to travel space and orbit the earth. Let's hope to have the privilege to know about the Isaacman family soon.
Trivia and facts
- Jared Isaacman is also passionate about mountain climbing.
- He has invested in SkyStream Jet.
- He is one of the first civilians to travel in outer space.
- He owns many ex-military aircraft.
