Norwalk CEO Gives College $50 Million Donation

NORWALK, CT — A Rochester Institute of Technology alumnus with a billion-dollar company is giving his alma mater $50 million. It's the largest donation the upstate New York college has ever received.

The 2009 graduate, Austin McChord, was back at RIT Wednesday to announce the gift. He says it's where the idea for his business came to him.

McChord is founder and chief executive of Datto, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based data protection company with offices in Rochester.

RIT will put $30 million of the donation toward fostering creativity and entrepreneurship. That will include the launch of a new facility called the Maker Library & Innovative Learning Complex of the Future.

The remaining $20 million will go to enhance RIT's cybersecurity and artificial intelligence work.

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