bgC3 was a research and think tank company founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2008. The company was created in March 2008 under the name Carillon Holdings and was renamed bgC3 in July of that year, shortly after Gates stepped down from his full-time role at Microsoft [1]. It was later renamed Gates Ventures in 2018 [2].
Design and History
The bgC3 logo first appeared on the company’s single-page website, bgc3.com, which was registered anonymously in June 2008 [3]. Contemporary reports described the mark as a stylized letter C in black coupled with the number 3 in aquamarine [3]. Other observers described the logo as resembling a magnet attached to a rounded blue rectangle, or upon closer inspection, a letter C interlocked with the number 3 [4].
The company’s name was widely reported to stand for “Bill Gates Catalyst 3,” with the number three referring to this being Gates’ third venture following Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation [5]. The trademark application for the name and logo was filed on September 29, 2008, listing the company as a provider of “think tank services” for the computer hardware and software industries [3].
Public documents described bgC3 as a “think tank” rather than a commercial venture, intended to coordinate Gates’ work on his business and philanthropic endeavors [1]. The company was headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, near Gates’ home [5].
Meaning and Symbolism
The visual pun in the bgC3 logo, where the letter C is interlocked with the number 3 to form a “C3” reading, directly echoed the company’s name [4]. The magnet-like appearance noted by some observers was not documented as an intentional design element by the company or its designer.
No designer or agency attribution for the bgC3 logo has been publicly documented. The identity was retired when the company was renamed Gates Ventures in 2018 [2].
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