Steven Dengler
Steven Dengler is a Canadian entrepreneur, businessperson, and investor. He is best known for co-founding the currency site XE.com Inc. in 1993, and currently serves as its CEO.
Early life and education
Dengler is an alumnus of The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. Prior to that, he attended high school at St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario, Canada.
Career
Upon graduation from university in 1993, Dengler founded a company with long-time friend Beric Farmer, whom he met in 1983 while attending high school at St. Andrew's College.
The company they founded, originally called Xenon Laboratories, changed its name to XE.com Inc. in 2001. XE.com went on to become the world's favorite currency information site, ranked by Alexa as the 256th most popular site in the world on August 2, 2011. The company was named a Greater Toronto Area Top Employer for 2011 by The Globe and Mail, which featured Dengler and XE.com in a related article AbOUT small companies whose perks and benefits rival those found in larger companies.
In February 2010, Dengler co-founded and financed Wifarer Inc. with Philip Stanger. Dengler currently serves as a Director of the company. Wifarer won the VIATeC "Inniovative Excellence" award in June 2010.
In early 2011, Dengler co-founded and financed 7 Hats Publishing Inc. with his sister, Ash Vickers. April 1, 2011, they launched MegaCynics, a semi-autobiographical online webcomic which draws inspiration for source material from actual events and interactions surrounding Dengler and Vickers, who are both characters in the webcomic. MegaCynics features Dengler's interactions (both real and imagined) with many notable geek culture figures such as Tim Schafer, Tom Hall, Ken Levine, Chris Avellone, Harrison Krix, and Teal Sherer.
Dracogen Strategic Investments
Dengler is also the principal of Dracogen Strategic Investments, an investment company through which he finances projects, companies, and opportunities he finds "personally EXCITING, compelling, and (most importantly) fun".
On September 29, 2011, Dengler and Tim Schafer announced that Dengler had funded the MacOS version of Double Fine's Psychonauts through Dracogen. This was followed by another announcement on October 14, 2011 that Dengler had also funded the PC version of Costume Quest. On August 30, 2012, it was revealed that Double Fine's free-to-play iOS game Middle Manager of Justice is part of a three game deal with Dracogen.
Personal life
Dengler and Farmer still work together, and remain very close friends. Dengler named one of his children "Beric", in honor of Farmer.
Dengler was an official torchbearer for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic games. On Dec 31, 2009, he ran with the torch north of Notre-Dame-du-Nord, Quebec.
Dengler collects video game memorabilia. At the 2010 Child's Play Charity Dinner, Dengler purchased one of Harrison Krix's five Portal Gun props.
Dengler is a philanthropist. In addition to Child's Play, he supports a number of charities, including his alma mater, the University of Western Ontario, where he dedicated part of an engineering pavilion in memory of Lynda Shaw, a classmate while he was studying mechanical engineering there.
Dengler is a private pilot, sometimes making publicity flights for his related companies, such as his promotional trip for MegaCynics to visit Valve Software and Penny Arcade with Ash Vickers and Harrison Krix in May 2011.
Dengler is a Canadian-Italian dual citizen who speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian. He is also a member of Mensa Canada.