Michael Ferro

Michael Ferro founded Merrick Ventures, a Florida-based Private Equity company in late 2006 after selling Click Commerce for $292M. Prior to that he founded and served as chairman and CEO of Click Commerce, Inc., the leading provider of on-demand supply chain management solutions. Under Michael’s leadership, Click Commerce posted 14 consecutive quarters of growth and profitability and acquired and integrated nine companies. During this time, the company’s stock value increased 900 percent. Because of Click Commerce’s industry reputation and proven ability to deliver results, Illinois Tool Works, a multi-billion dollar Fortune 150 company, acquired the company in October 2006 to serve as the platform to launch their software and technology group. In 2008, through Merrick Ventures, Michael bought a controlling interest in a near-bankrupt company, Merge Healthcare. Michael rebuilt Merge and was granted multiple patents for his pioneering ideas in artificial intelligence and medical imaging. In 2015, Michael sold Merge Healthcare to IBM for $1B, a massive return for Merrick Ventures. Michael has founded many other companies, including Higi. Higi is a platform that allows people to track health and lifestyle data from wearable technology and Higi stations, which are distributed in over 10,000 retail pharmacies. Michael has also founded the Michael and Jacqueline Ferro Foundation, through which he has donated tens of millions of dollars to causes like Melanoma, Fallen Journalists, and universities to build entrepreneurship programs. http://michaelferro.com/michael-and-jacqueline-ferro-foundation/ Michael has won numerous awards, including the KPMG Illinois High-Tech Award, and was named 2006 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Technology, the CEO National Young Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Humanitarian of the Year from the Holocaust Memorial Foundation. In 2021, he was named "Healthcare Tech Entrepreneur of the Year" by IAOTP. He and his family make their home in the Mimia, Florida area. Michael is a member of the 2006 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute.