Jimmy Wales is an Internet entrepreneur who helped create Wikipedia.
Jimmy Donal `` Jimbo '' Wales ( [ 'd ʒɪmi_ˈdoʊnəl_ˈweɪlz ] born August 7 , 1966 in Huntsville , Alabama ) is an American Internet entrepreneur . He is the co-founder of Wikipedia , the online non-profit encyclopedia , and the for-profit web hosting company Wikia . The company would provide the initial funding for the peer-reviewed free encyclopedia , Nupedia ( 2000 -- 03 ) , and its successor , Wikipedia . On January 15 , 2001 , with Larry Sanger and others , Wales launched Wikipedia -- a free , open content encyclopedia that enjoyed rapid growth and popularity ; as Wikipedia 's public profile grew , he became the project 's promoter and spokesman . He is historically cited as a co-founder of Wikipedia , though he has disputed the `` co - '' designation , declaring himself the sole founder .