Mark Pincus

Mark Jonathan Pincus (born February 13, 1966) is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of Zynga, which makes online social games. Pincus also founded Freeloader, Inc., Tribe Networks, and Support.com. Pincus served as the CEO of Zynga until July 2013. Zynga's top games include: Bubble Safari, CastleVille, ChefVille, CityVille, CityVille 2, CoasterVille, Draw Something, FarmVille, Yoville, FarmVille 2, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars, Empires & Allies, Words with Friends, Hanging with Friends and Scramble with Friends.

Pincus was named 2009 "CEO of the Year" at The Crunchies technology awards and a year later was named Founder of the Year at the 2010 ceremony. Zynga is considered to be the pioneer of the social gaming industry, which is expected to reach $5.5 billion by 2015. Within four years after Pincus founded Zynga, the company had grown to a $1 billion company.

Early life and background

Pincus was born into a Jewish family in Chicago and raised in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. He is the son of Donna (née Forman) and Theodore Pincus. His father was a business columnist and public relations adviser to CEOs and politicians and his mother was an architect. He has two sisters: Laura Pincus Hartman and Susan Pincus Sherman. His father later married Sherri (née Barr, of Milwaukee) and his mother later married Sheldon Meyers, of Chicago; and he now has three additional step-sisters and one step-brother, Anne Zitron Casey, Jennifer Zitron Suomi, Annie Meyers Ashe and David Meyers.