Michael Ferro Jr. is a software architect and very successful internet entrepreneur. Learn about his work here.

1. FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT
MICHAEL W. FERRO JR.

2. EARLY CHILDHOOD
 Michael W. Ferro Jr. was born in 1966 and briefly
lived in Merrick, New York. Merrick Ventures is the
name of the private equity firm Mr. Ferro founded.
 However, Michael W. Ferro Jr. spent the majority of
his childhood in Illinois and attended the University
of Illinois-Chicago.

3. CLICK COMMERCE
 Michael W. Ferro Jr. founded Click Commerce in 1994
at the age of 28.
 Click Commerce provided customers with business
application software and related services.
 Michael W. Ferro received significant praise and press
from various media publications for his work at Click
Commerce. He was named to the Forbes “Tech’s 100
Highest Roller” list.
 In 2006, Mr. Ferro sold the company to Illinois Tool
Works for $292 million in cash.

4. MERGE HEALTHCARE
 Michael W. Ferro Jr.’s training is in software architecture,
and he took a hands-on approach to running Merge
Healthcare after being named Chairman.
 Under Ferro’s leadership, Merge Healthcare turned
things around and was targeted by IBM for its medical
imaging software and patent portfolio. IBM would later
buy the company.
 As a software architect, Michael W. Ferro Jr. was able to
develop AI medical imaging technology that would help
health care providers make more informed decisions on
patient health.

5. FILM PRODUCER
 Michael W. Ferro Jr. co-produced the universally-
acclaimed documentary, Life Itself, alongside Martin
Scorsese and Steve Zaillian.
 The documentary focused on famed Chicago Sun-
Times movie critic Roger Ebert and his career and
courageous battle fighting cancer of the thyroid and
salivary glands.
 Life Itself was shortlisted for an Academy Award
nomination and currently has a 87 out of 100
Metacritic score.

6. OLYMPIC BID
 Michael W. Ferro Jr. was named the Chairman of
the Sports Advisory Council in 2006.
 The Sports Advisory Council was organized by
Mayor Richard M. Daley, and it consisted of a
board of corporate citizens that led the Chicago
bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
 As Chairman, Mr. Ferro and his wife, Jacky, were
heavily involved in fundraising. For one event
alone that they co-chaired, they were able to
raise $12 million dollars for the Summer Olympics
bid.