Kimbal Musk is a South African-born entrepreneur, restaurateur, philanthropist, and environmentalist. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of several food-focused initiatives aimed at reshaping the way communities eat. He is also known as the younger brother of Elon Musk. Kimbal serves on the boards of Tesla Inc. and SpaceX, and formerly served on the board of Chipotle Mexican Grill. He is the founder of The Kitchen Restaurant Group, a collection of community-focused restaurants across the United States.
Kimbal Musk was born on September 20, 1972, in Pretoria, South Africa. He grew up alongside his siblings, Elon and Tosca Musk, in a household that encouraged independence and ambition. His father, Errol Musk, was a South African electromechanical engineer and entrepreneur, while his mother, Maye Musk, is a well-known dietitian and model.
After graduating from high school, Kimbal moved to Kingston, Ontario, Canada, to join his brother Elon. He attended Queen’s University, where he earned a degree in business. During his time at the university, he also worked at Scotiabank to support himself financially.
In 1995, Kimbal and Elon co-founded Zip2, one of the earliest online city guide platforms. The company was a success and was sold to Compaq in 1999 for $307 million. Kimbal received a substantial payout from the sale and went on to become an investor in several technology ventures, including X.com, an online finance and payments company started by Elon. X.com later evolved into PayPal and was acquired by eBay in 2002 for $1.5 billion.
Although Kimbal achieved financial success in the tech industry, he soon developed a passion for culinary arts and sustainable food systems. In pursuit of this new direction, he enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in New York City.
