) is the founder and former CEO of Antivirus Software maker Panda Software

Panda Software

Panda Security SL, formerly Panda Software, is a computer security company founded in 1990 by Panda's former CEO, Mikel Urizarbarrena, in the city of Bilbao, Spain...

.

He founded the company in 1990, along with his wife (current vice chairman of the company) and two other friends, in the town of Durango, Biscay.

His company began as a developer of educational software for driver teaching schools. Mikel shifted his company to the antivirus market. After developing the new software, his company won a contract with IBM

IBM

International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

 in Spain for distributing his software with their OEM computers.

According to French national newspaper L'Express

L'Express

L'Express is the name of:*L'Express , the first news magazine in France*L'Express Airlines, a commuter airline in the southern USA between 1989-1992.*L'Express d'Ottawa, a Canadian weekly newspaper*L'Express de Timmins, a Canadian weekly newspaper...

, Urizarbarrena is a member of the Church of Scientology

Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and...

 whose first donation of $40,000 in 1996 has been repeated regularly since.