Charles Corfield

Who is Charles Corfield?

Charles "Nick" Corfield is a mathematician, computer programmer, and founder of several startup companies in Silicon Valley, most notably Frame Technology Corp. in 1986, which was acquired by Adobe Systems in 1995. While at Columbia University, Charles wrote the original version of the desktop publishing application FrameMaker, which was the main product of the company he soon co-founded. An undergraduate at St John's College, Cambridge, he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics from the University of Cambridge in 1982. In 1996 he donated £2.5m to help fund Cambridge University's Centre for Mathematical Sciences. The Sunday Times Rich List estimates his wealth at over £100m.

He is also a mountain climber, having summitted Mount Everest and conducted studies of the effects of high altitude on human physiology.

Charles is also an ultrarunner. In 2007, he placed third at the Leadville Trail 100, which is one of the hardest runs in the country, with a time of 19 hours and 42 minutes, in his first ever 100-mile run.

In 2009, St John's College, Cambridge opened Corfield Court, named in recognition of the significant donations Charles had made to the College over the years.