The Council of Korean Americans (CKA) will honor entrepreneur, technology advisor and San Francisco 49ers co-owner Gideon Yu with this year’s Trailblazer Award during their Gala and Awards Dinner on Oct. 14.
Yu, 45, is the first team president of color in the history of the National Football League. He first purchased a portion of the team in 2012.
Yu currently serves as the chairman and co-founder of Eva Automation, a Silicon Valley-based startup company that reimages audio and video, and has held executive positions at Facebook, YouTube and Yahoo, according to CKA.
During his time with the 49ers, Yu, who graduated from Harvard Business School, led the franchise’s efforts in securing a $850 million construction loan – the largest ever in professional sports – for Levi Stadium, the team’s home that opened in 2014.
He and his wife Susie have given millions of dollars over the years to combat poverty. According to CKA, he currently serves as a board member of the two different nonprofit organizations – the Tipping Point Community, which fights poverty in the Bay Area, and BUILD, a group that provides youth experiential learning.
The gala will also feature speakers Forever 21 CEO Do Won Chang, DramaFever CEO Seung Bak, Mnet America President Sang H. Cho and NBC News 4 Today anchor Eun Yang.
CKA is a nonprofit organization of successful Korean American leaders dedicated to advancing opportunities for their community across the United States.
