# Sam Blackman

> Sam Blackman (1976-2017) was the Portland-born engineer, Elemental Technologies co-founder and CEO who led the video-processing company through its 2015 acquisition by Amazon. His work connected GPU-based video processing with broadcasters’ shift to streaming, while his civic commitments included donated company equity, diversity initiatives, charity runs and community volunteering.

- **Role:** Engineer and technology entrepreneur
- **Organizations:** Elemental Technologies / AWS Elemental, Pixelworks, Silicon Graphics, Intel, 4K 4Charity
- **From:** Portland, United States
- **Education:** B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Brown University, M.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, MBA (Oregon Executive MBA), University of Oregon
- **Known for:** Led Elemental through its 2015 acquisition by Amazon., GeekWire Startup CEO of the Year, 2013., Technology Association of Oregon Technology Executive of the Year, 2015.

## Career timeline

- **1976** — Born in Portland on July 3.
- **1999** — Completed an electrical engineering master’s at Berkeley.
- **2000** — Joined Pixelworks; his work included image-processing IC design and organizing its Shanghai design center.
- **2006** — Co-founded Elemental Technologies with Jesse Rosenzweig and Brian Lewis.
- **2008** — Completed the Oregon Executive MBA.
- **2012** — Elemental technology supported streaming of the London Olympics.
- **2013** — Named GeekWire Startup CEO of the Year.
- **2014** — Co-founded the 4K 4Charity Fun Run Series.
- **2015** — Amazon acquired Elemental for $296 million; Blackman continued as CEO.
- **2017** — Died on August 27; OEN selected him for its Lifetime Achievement Award that October.

## Achievements

- Led Elemental through its 2015 acquisition by Amazon.
- GeekWire Startup CEO of the Year, 2013.
- Technology Association of Oregon Technology Executive of the Year, 2015.
- Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Lifetime Achievement Award, 2017.
- Co-founded 4K 4Charity in 2014.
- Supported community investment through Elemental’s early equity donation.

## Latest updates

- **2025-09** — AWS’s tenth-acquisition-anniversary retrospective credited Blackman and co-founders Jesse Rosenzweig and Brian Lewis with establishing Elemental’s foundations; Rosenzweig remembered Blackman in his anniversary message.
- **2020-09** — PacStar announced Peggy Miller as a recipient of the Sam Blackman Award, which recognizes industry leadership and community impact.
- **2018-07** — The University of Oregon published an account of an alumni event celebrating Blackman’s leadership and civic commitments.

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sam-blackman
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23