Founder Profile
Edward Kaplan
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Edward Kaplan?
Edward Kaplan is a founder of Zebra Technologies Corporation, which was founded in 1969 with Gerhard Cless.
- Company founded
- Zebra Technologies Corporation
- Founded
- 1969
- Co-founders
- Gerhard Cless
Background
Mechanical engineer who graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Founding Story
Edward Kaplan co-founded Data Specialties (later Zebra Technologies) in 1969 with a $1,000 investment. He served as the company's CEO for 38 years, guiding its pivotal transition into the barcode printing industry and driving its highly successful 1991 IPO. Under his leadership, Zebra became the global standard for industrial supply chain tracking. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to Edward Kaplan. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Zebra FY2025 results (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
- Zebra Q2 2026 results (Business Wire) (Zebra Technologies Corporation)