Honorary Doctor of Science

A technology entrepreneur and CEO for more than 30 years, Daniel L. Harple Jr. is considered an internet pioneer who has founded and built technologies, companies, and products used by billions of internet users. He has founded, grown, and merged companies with Netscape Communications, Oracle, and Sina, among others, driving at-scale global innovation and impacting users the world over. These innovations established foundational standards for internet collaboration, media streaming, and VoIP, used daily by billions across platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and YouTube.

Harple is chair and CEO of Context Labs BV, a company he founded based on his MIT research. The company delivers AI driven, auditable intelligence for industrial data, carbon management, and compliance. It provides AI-ready data infrastructure for global energy markets, creating context for the world’s most challenging persistent problems.

He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year, the Red Herring Watch Award, the Upside Hot Startup Award, the University of Rhode Island’s Alumni Excellence Award for Contributions to Science and Technology, and the NEA (New Enterprise Associates) President’s Award.

Harple holds an advanced degree from MIT and bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and psychology from the University of Rhode Island.

Harple will receive an honorary Doctor of Science during commencement ceremonies for URI’s College of Engineering on Saturday, May 16, at 5 p.m.