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Dado
and Maria Banatao. Photo: Bruce Cook |
Dado and Maria Banatao:
A lifetime of giving
By Karen Rhodes
When their eldest son, Rey, declared that Berkeley was his only
choice for college, Dado and Maria Banatao didn’t have to
ask why. The Silicon Valley couple had come to know Berkeley well
and shared a high regard for its teaching and research.
At the time – more than a decade ago – Dado Banatao
was in charge of developing new semiconductor technology for Fremont-based
SEEQ Technology. "We wanted to consult with top engineering
talent," recalls Dado, "so we searched out Berkeley,
which was known hands-down as the leader in semiconductor design."
Dado’s inquiry led to long and close working relationships
with such College of Engineering professors as David Hodges and
Paul Gray, both of whom served the College as deans. He drew upon
this interaction to launch three startup companies and, in 2000,
to found Tallwood Venture Capital, a firm that invests in new
technologies and helps entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists
grow their ideas. Today, Dado Banatao is considered a Silicon
Valley visionary.
Dado and Maria first began contributing to Berkeley as Cal parents.
All three of their children – son Desi and daughter Tala
along with Rey – earned their undergraduate degrees at Cal.
Desi is pursuing a master’s degree in the College, specializing
in materials science and engineering.
The Banataos’ particular interest in the College of Engineering
led to their 2001 decision to help launch CITRIS, the new Center
for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society,
with a cornerstone pledge. Their gift will provide for distance
education initiatives within CITRIS, reflecting their own commitment
to extending Berkeley’s instructional resources to teachers
and students worldwide.
"We are now helping the University of the Philippines, which
is similar to Berkeley – a public institution with a high
profile," says Maria. "We arranged for the computer
sciences department chair to spend several months here, working
with Berkeley faculty. She felt very welcomed and returned to
the Philippines with a lot of good ideas." Adds Dado, "A
lot of our helping is centered on education. It offers tremendous
leverage, a great return. We use ourselves as examples. We began
our education in the Philippines, we continued our studies here,
and we prospered." Dado holds a master’s in EECS from
Stanford, while Maria holds a master’s in education from
the University of Washington.
The Banataos are quick to endorse CITRIS’s core objective,
which is to apply engineering teaching and research to large-scale
societal needs. "Countries with strong educational institutions
have the capacity to develop and profit from technology,"
says Dado, who is a longtime advisor to the Philippine government.
"I keep saying, education is the best way to get technology
and other advancements adopted quickly."
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