SF State's College of Business named in honor of Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and wife Lyna Lam's family

Left to right: San Francisco State University President Leslie E. Wong, Lyna Lam, Quang Lam and Chris Larsen.

SAN FRANCISCO - June 4, 2019 - The California State University has approved the naming of the College of Business at San Francisco State University as the Lam Family College of Business. The naming is in recognition of Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen and his wife Lyna Lam, making it the first named college in the University's history. This milestone honors Larsen, a San Francisco State alumnus, for his long history of generous support of his alma mater.

The first in his family to attend college, Larsen graduated from SF State in 1984 with three bachelor’s degrees in accounting, finance and international business. He credits his SF State education as a key contributor to his success in the financial technology sector. Lam's two siblings and other family members also attended the University.

At Larsen's recommendation, the college is named in honor of his wife's family, particularly his father-in-law, Quang Lam, who led his family in their escape from war and genocide in Cambodia. After a few years in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines, the Lam family immigrated to the U.S. and settled in the Bay Area. Larsen looks up to Quang Lam as someone who worked hard to give his family the American dream. Larsen sees his father-in-law's ingenuity, grit and determination as great examples of the attributes possessed by SF State students, thirty-seven percent of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

In April 2019, the University announced a gift of $25 million to the College of Business by Larsen, Lam and Rippleworks, a nonprofit foundation launched in 2015 by Larsen and Doug Galen that supports high-growth social ventures around the world. The gift established the Chris Larsen and Lyna Lam Funds for the College of Business and supports the University

Continue read full story at: https://news.sfsu.edu/releases/sf-state's-college-business-named-honor-ripple-co-founder-chris-larsen-and-wife-lyna-lams