John A. Sobrato & family
Overview
- Source of Wealth
- Real estate
- Industry
- Real Estate
- Residence
- Atherton, California
- Organization
- Founder and Chairman at Sobrato Development Cos.
- Education
- Santa Clara University (Bachelor of Arts/Science)
- Marital Status
- Married
- Children
- 3
Biography
Real estate mogul John A. Sobrato began selling homes in Palo Alto while he was still a student at Santa Clara University.
He later worked with his mother to develop industrial properties, and founded his own real estate company in 1979.
The Sobrato Organization owns over 4.7 million square feet of office space in Silicon Valley, with tenants like Netflix, plus about 6,450 apartments.
Sobrato is chairman emeritus of his Cupertino-based firm, while his son, John M. Sobrato, serves as chairman of the board.
In 2017, he pledged $100 million to Santa Clara University, his alma mater, for a new STEM education center.
About
Sobrato's mom started the family's real estate empire in the 1950s, when she sold her late husband's restaurant and bought property south of San Francisco.
Sobrato aspired to be an engineer but almost flunked out of college; he switched his major to business and was on the dean's list every semester thereafter.