Who Is Michael W. Ferro Jr.?
If you are a follower of the tech scene in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, you have probably heard of Michael W. Ferro Jr. He is a software architect and hugely successful entrepreneur and investor who has left his imprint on a number of different companies and firms. Today, he runs his own private equity firm, Merrick Ventures, which has attracted some of the biggest investors and tech minds in Chicago and connected them with Chicago firms doing big things in the world of technology.
What Have Been Some of Michael W. Ferro Jr.’s Biggest Successes?
Michael W. Ferro Jr. was the youngest division president at Pettibone when he decided to start his own company, Click Commerce. At Pettibone, Michael W. Ferro Jr. had already achieved significant success and helped revolutionize the company’s order processing by putting inventory and price sheets on the internet, so customers could process their own orders. However, in 1994, at the age of 28, he knew he needed to go into business for himself.
He founded Click Commerce, a company that develops custom software solutions for businesses, and the company was originally headquartered in Chicago. Michael W. Ferro took the company public in 2000, and he received recognition by many different tech publications for his success at such a young age. In 2006, the company was acquired by Illinois Tool Works, and Michael W. Ferro Jr. was on to his next project.
Through Merrick Ventures, Mr. Ferro invested in Merge Healthcare, a medical image company that had some struggles financially, but one that Mr. Ferro saw great potential in. Michael W. Ferro Jr. served as Chairman of Merge Healthcare from 2008 until 2015, and he was partly responsible for creating a highly sought after patent portfolio that included AI medical imaging technology he developed. In 2015, IBM purchased Merge Healthcare for $1 billion, and the company is now on much sturdier ground financially.
In addition to these and many other investments and roles, Michael W. Ferro Jr. has been a big part of the Chicago arts scene. He invested in Steven James’ Life Itself, a documentary based on the memoir by Chicago Sun-Times critic, Roger Ebert. The film was shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. A self-described film buff, Michael W. Ferro Jr. has indicated that he would be interested in producing other projects he’s passionate about in the future.