Steve Poizner
Stephen Poizner | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 4, 1957 Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, political figure |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | California Insurance Commissioner (2007–2011), founder of SnapTrack, Strategic Mapping, EmpoweredU, CEO of OneNav Inc. |
Stephen Leo Poizner (born January 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur and political figure who held the position of California's Insurance Commissioner from 2007 until 2011. Originally affiliated with the Republican Party, Poizner later ran as an independent candidate in the 2018 California Insurance Commissioner election, though he was not elected.
As a Silicon Valley innovator, Poizner established and later sold several companies, including SnapTrack, Inc., Strategic Mapping, Inc., and EmpoweredU. He currently leads GPS-focused startup OneNav Inc. Following the $1 billion acquisition of SnapTrack by Qualcomm in 2001, Poizner served as a White House Fellow on the National Security Council, where he oversaw Critical Infrastructure Protection and contributed to initiatives within Homeland Security related to cybersecurity and emergency communications. As of 2025, Poizner and Arnold Schwarzenegger remain the last Republicans to have held statewide office in California, both having been elected in 2006.
Background and early life
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, Poizner completed a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in 1978. During his studies, he took on leadership roles such as president of Alpha Phi Omega. He went on to earn an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1980, graduating as an Arjay Miller Scholar.
In the early 1980s, Poizner played a leading role in the Palo Alto Jaycees chapter's landmark legal challenge against the national Jaycees organization regarding the admission of women members. The case escalated to the Supreme Court of the United States, culminating in a ruling that favored inclusion. Notably, his wife was among the first women admitted following this decision.
Poizner is also a black belt practitioner of Shotokan karate. He lives with his wife Carol and their daughter Rebecca in Los Gatos, California.
Entrepreneur and venture capitalist
With over three decades of experience, Poizner has been at the helm of multiple technology enterprises within Silicon Valley.
His career commenced as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, before founding Strategic Mapping Inc. in 1983. This company specialized in software that enabled visualization of geographic data through digital maps, supporting sectors such as law enforcement, utilities, transportation, banking, and retail with location analysis and logistics planning. Strategic Mapping was acquired by Claritas in 1996; its geographic information system technology was subsequently purchased by ESRI.
In 1995, Poizner launched SnapTrack, Inc., which was instrumental in integrating GPS technology into mobile phones. Serving as CEO until its sale to Qualcomm in 2000 for roughly $1 billion in stock options, this transaction significantly enhanced Poizner’s personal wealth.
In June 2011, he co-established Empowered Careers—a mobile learning platform created in collaboration with UCLA and Creative Artists Agency. Qualcomm acquired EmpoweredU in July 2014 under undisclosed terms.
Poizner was honored with induction into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council Hall of Fame in February 2014.
In June 2017, he initiated a nonprofit coalition involving California’s universities, research centers, venture capitalists, and business executives aimed at bolstering Southern California’s venture capital landscape and startup environment. The program emphasizes streamlining technology licensing processes and facilitating connections between entrepreneurs and investors to bring university innovations to market.
Education reform and community involvement
In 2001, Poizner helped establish EdVoice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of K-12 public education throughout California. Between 2002 and 2003, he volunteered as a 12th-grade American Government instructor at Mount Pleasant High School in San Jose. This teaching experience inspired the New York Times bestselling book Mount Pleasant, which elicited varied reactions for its depiction of challenges faced by a low-income public school.
Poizner was also a co-founder of the California Charter Schools Association in 2003. By June 2011, he had joined two educational advisory boards at the University of Southern California. Later, in September 2016, he was appointed as the first entrepreneur in residence at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management.
California Insurance Commissioner
The position of California Insurance Commissioner was created through Proposition 103 in 1988, and Poizner held this office from January 2007 until January 2011. His tenure was marked by commendations for effectively managing insurance responses during the 2007 San Diego wildfires, combating unlawful health insurer rescissions and unjustified premium increases, and reducing his department’s discretionary spending by 13%. He spearheaded initiatives to modernize the California Department of Insurance (CDI) via budget cuts and a thorough departmental evaluation.
Throughout his term, Poizner oversaw nearly 2,800 arrests related to insurance fraud—the highest total recorded by the CDI over three years—and launched the nation’s first terror financing investigation led by an insurance commissioner, successfully redirecting millions away from Iran.
On February 13, 2018, Poizner announced his intention to seek a second term as Insurance Commissioner as an independent candidate but was narrowly defeated by Democrat Ricardo Lara with a final tally of 47% to 53%.
Public service and civic engagement
From 2001 to 2002, Poizner served as a White House Fellow within the National Security Council’s Office of Cyberspace Security, where he directed efforts on Critical Infrastructure Protection. He formulated strategies aimed at defending vital infrastructure against cyber-terrorism and developed emergency communication protocols for national security officials. Beginning just prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks, he managed emergency communication planning for the 2002 Winter Olympics and worked to safeguard essential systems such as Internet networks, financial institutions, and power grids from cyber threats.
In 2004, Poizner sought election to the California State Assembly representing the 21st district but was defeated by Democrat Ira Ruskin, losing by a margin of 5,884 votes out of approximately 190,120 cast.
During the 2006 election cycle, Poizner ran unopposed in the Republican primary for California Insurance Commissioner and subsequently won the general election by defeating then-Lieutenant Governor Democrat Cruz Bustamante by a margin of 12.4%.
That same year, he became a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, having been nominated by former Secretary of State George Shultz.
In late 2007, Poizner led the successful opposition campaign against Proposition 93, which sought to alter term limits. As chairman of the No on 93 effort, he personally contributed $2.5 million, secured endorsements from over forty newspaper editorial boards statewide, and participated in extensive media outreach. The proposition was ultimately rejected by voters with a result of 54% against to 46% in favor in February 2008.
In May 2008, President George W. Bush appointed Poizner to an Honorary Delegation attending Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations in Jerusalem.
On September 15, 2008, Poizner declared his candidacy for Governor of California.
In May 2009, he played a key role in defeating Proposition 1A, a $10 billion tax increase measure during California's special elections. The measure was rejected by voters with a margin of approximately 65.6% opposed to 34.4% supporting.
Poizner officially filed his gubernatorial candidacy on March 1, 2010; however, on June 8 he was defeated in the Republican primary by former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, who later lost to Democrat Jerry Brown in the general election.
In early 2014, Poizner was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council Hall of Fame.
By September 2016, he took on the role of inaugural entrepreneur in residence at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management.
Poizner announced his run for a nonconsecutive second term as California State Insurance Commissioner in the year 2018.
EmpoweredU
Following his tenure as Insurance Commissioner, Poizner collaborated with the Sherry Lansing Foundation and Creative Artists Agency to create Empowered Careers, later rebranded as EmpoweredU, a mobile education platform designed specifically for baby boomers aiming to find new jobs or switch careers.
EmpoweredU initially partnered with UCLA Extension to offer professional certification programs and career guidance, helping mature adults maintain their competitiveness in the evolving employment landscape.
The company secured $15 million in Series A financing from Silicon Valley investors InterWest Partners and Granite Ventures to expand its digital learning solutions.
As CEO, Poizner was a strong advocate for leveraging technology-based education to support unemployed baby boomers in navigating career transitions.
In July 2012, EmpoweredU launched a tailored iPad application that utilized the device’s key functionalities to improve the user learning experience.
By January 2014, EmpoweredU introduced pilot initiatives at the Viterbi School of Engineering, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Rossier School of Education, along with eight additional universities across the United States, including Clemson University and University of California campuses at Irvine and San Diego.
Qualcomm Inc acquired EmpoweredU in July 2014 under undisclosed terms.
Poizner announced his exit from Qualcomm on January 22, 2016, to explore new professional opportunities.
2016 John Kasich presidential campaign
In February 2016, Poizner took on roles as national co-chair and California State Chair for Ohio Governor John Kasich’s presidential bid.
Alliance for Southern California Innovation
In June 2017, Poizner initiated a nonprofit coalition comprising California universities, research centers, venture capitalists, and business executives aimed at enhancing Southern California’s startup and venture capital environment. The alliance prioritizes streamlining technology licensing from universities and facilitating connections between entrepreneurs and investors.
Toward the end of 2019, Poizner founded OneNav, Inc., a technology company focused on creating the world’s first pure L5 GNSS receiver integrated with artificial intelligence capabilities.
Healthcare Consumer Rights Foundation
In January 2020, Poizner established the Healthcare Consumer Rights Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting patient rights within the healthcare system.