SMART Technologies is the parent company that created the SMART Board.  SMART Technologies was founded in 1987 by David Martin and Nancy Knowlton as a Canadian company that was a distributor for 3M  projectors.  The SMART Board was introduced 18 years ago in 1991!  According the SMART Technologies website, "It was the first interactive whiteboard to provide touch control of computer applications and annotation over standard Microsoft Windows applications" (SMART Technologies ULC).  The company struggled in the early years, but put all of its profits into research development of the SMART Board.  Because nobody knew about the product, SMART had to really work at marketing their product.  As a results, some educators began using the SMART Board and also a partnership with Intel was a key factor that provided the company with needed equity and confidence.  The rest is history!  As SMART Technologies grows as a company, they continue to be cutting edge with both their hardware and software offering educational, corporate, and government solutions.

Reference

SMART Technologies ULC. (n.d.). Company History. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-US/About+Us/News+Room/Media+Kits/Corporate+Media+Kit/History.htm.