Draft:Giuseppe Crippa

Giuseppe Crippa
Born	(1935-05-05) 5 May 1935 Rabbiate, Italy
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Organization	Technoprobe
Website	https://www.technoprobe.com/

Giuseppe Crippa is an Italian entrepreneur and the founder of the technology company Technoprobe. According to Forbes, his wealth is estimated at EUR 4.1 billion. He served as Technoprobe's CEO until 2017.

Early life and career

Giuseppe Crippa was born in 1935 in Robbiate, Italy, where he spent his childhood during World War II. He studied at a technical institute in Bergamo and started his career in the 1950s with the engineering company Breda.

In 1960, at 25, Crippa entered the microchip industry by joining the semiconductor company SGS. Two years later, SGS sent him to Silicon Valley to learn about advanced semiconductor technology from Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore at Fairchild Semiconductor in Mountain View, California. Crippa’s work contributed to the industrial-scale production of NPN transistors back in Italy.

Returning to Italy in 1963, Crippa managed a new department focused on silicon transistor production, creating one of Italy’s—and Europe’s—first production lines for these components. Over the years, he held various roles within the company, from production manager to process manager and, eventually, global quality manager.

Technoprobe

In 1989, with his son Cristiano, Crippa began a small business producing probe cards used in chip testing. At that time, these were mainly manufactured in the United States, and the industry was still growing. Probe cards were fragile and often required repairs, highlighting the need for quality improvement.

By 1993, Crippa and his family had converted much of their home in Merate into a workshop, using the garage, attic, and basement to support the growing business. His wife, Mariarosa, managed administrative tasks, while Crippa hired his first two employees.

Growth

In 1995, at age 60, Crippa retired from STMicroelectronics and chose to invest his severance pay into launching Technoprobe, Italy’s first company dedicated to producing and selling probe cards. By 1996, Technoprobe moved to a larger 800-square-meter facility in Cernusco Lombardone with a team of a dozen employees. Crippa continued to lead as managing director until 2017.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Technoprobe supported local vaccination efforts by converting part of its facility into a vaccination center. Over six months, the center administered 160,000 doses to community members.

Technoprobe debuted on Euronext Growth on February 15, 2022, with a valuation of €3.5 billion. Share prices increased by 12 percent on the first day, leading to a temporary suspension due to strong demand.

Competitive Landscape

Technoprobe operates within a specialized sector and has become one of the two major multinational manufacturers of probe cards. Its primary competitor, FormFactor, based in California, covers the U.S. market and also shares clientele with Technoprobe.

As probe card technology has developed, both companies have adapted to the needs of major semiconductor producers, keeping pace with the shrinking size and increasing complexity of semiconductors in line with Moore’s Law. Each probe card can hold up to 50,000 pins to inspect chips, allowing Technoprobe to support quality control in chip manufacturing before they enter mass production.

External link

Official website

Category:Living people Category:Italian businesspeople Category:Italian billionaires Category:Businesspeople in technology