Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang, celebrated the company’s 30th anniversary at a Denny’s restaurant in San Jose, California, where the chip design company was founded. Huang, along with co-founders Chris Malachowsky and Curtis Priem, started Nvidia with a dream in 1993. Today, the company is a leading provider of graphics chips for 3D games and AI processors. Nvidia’s market value now exceeds $1 trillion. To commemorate the anniversary, a plaque will be placed at the booth where Nvidia began, and Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade presented Huang with a plaque honoring him for building a trillion-dollar company.
Denny’s CEO, Kelli Valade, views Denny’s as an American institution and believes that great things can happen at a Denny’s booth over breakfast and coffee. In honor of Nvidia’s anniversary, Denny’s has launched a competition called the Trillion Dollar Incubator, where anyone can submit a startup idea for a chance to win a $25,000 prize. The public will vote on the ideas, and the top five will be evaluated “Shark Tank” style, with one winner chosen. Both Huang and Valade began their careers working at Denny’s and credit the experience for teaching them life skills and the importance of hospitality.
Garren Grieve, CEO of Seaside Dining Group and owner of the Denny’s restaurant where Nvidia was founded, has placed a plaque at the booth to indicate its significance. The location is one of the top sales locations in Grieve’s portfolio. The Denny’s chain, which has been around for 70 years, has over 1,600 restaurants. Huang revealed that Nvidia never had a business plan when they started, but they had ideas and a desire to create something of unique value. While they still struggle with projecting revenues, their invention has brought them tremendous joy and success over the years.