Jan Koum jets from San Jose to Appleton amid Wisconsin tech networking surge

Jan Koum flew from Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport to Appleton International Airport on May 11, 2026, piloting one of his Gulfstream G650ERs on a direct three-hour, 15-minute journey that reached speeds of nearly 570 knots and altitudes over 45,000 feet. The trip marks an unusual detour for the Silicon Valley billionaire, whose private aviation typically sticks to California's coastal corridors or international jaunts to his properties in France and the UAE.

Koum's arrival comes the same week as a slate of business networking gatherings in the Fox Cities area, including chamber-hosted after-hours mixers and leadership development sessions organized by the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce. Wisconsin has been ramping up its tech profile, building on the momentum from the Wisconsin Technology Council's April 30 Tech Summit in nearby Oshkosh, where industry leaders discussed AI applications and economic growth, as reported by the council's event coverage.

Through his Dallas-based family office Newlands, which manages $10 billion in assets focused on technology ventures, Koum often scouts opportunities beyond the Bay Area. This flight deviates from his recent pattern of short hops between San Jose, Los Angeles, and Malibu—evident in logs from early May—hinting at possible meetings with Midwest startups or firms in the region's burgeoning electronics and manufacturing sectors, like those in nearby Neenah.