Chris Piche

Chris Piche is a Canadian computer scientist and technology entrepreneur who specializes in peer-to-peer networking, streaming, and computer vision technologies.

Piche pioneered the technology behind online multiplayer gaming and formed a joint venture with Stanley Ho and Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) to create the first Internet-based, real-time casino platform. Piche then built Eyeball Chat – an early instant messaging, Voice over IP, and video telephony service with over 7 million active users in 2012.

Education
Chris Piche was born in Vancouver, Canada. He began programming computers at age 11, entered university at the age of 13, and later graduated in computer science from the University of British Columbia.

Online multiplayer gaming
Beginning in 2000, Piche pioneered the technology behind online multiplayer gaming and formed a joint venture with Stanley Ho and Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) to create the first Internet-based, real-time casino platform.

Piche and Ho later defeated patent trolls in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, where Piche was awarded US$1,361,418.79 in fees, costs, and damages.

Video telephony
Piche created Eyeball Chat, a popular instant messaging, Voice over IP, and video telephony service with over 7 million active users. Eyeball Chat was awarded as Best Communication Product of Internet World.

In a joint venture with Nifty, a Japanese ISP and Fujitsu subsidiary, Piche created Eyeball Lite and Eyeball Pro, video telephony services for the Japanese market.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
Piche was Canada's representative to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Information and Communications Technology Forum in Shanghai in 2001.

Awards and recognition

 * Canada's Top Young Leader, The Globe and Mail, 2000
 * Top 40 under 40, Business in Vancouver, 2000
 * Best of Internet World, 2001
 * Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award finalist, 2006