Micheal Dell and his Red Hat USD 100 Million investment

RALEIGH - Founder and Chairman of Dell, Inc. Michael Dell has given $99.5 million to Red Hat.

Billionaire Dell invested his own money in the Raleigh based Linux company.

The investment was made through MSD Capital L.P. in January 2004. Dell uses the investment firm to manage an estimated $10 billion of his wealth when investing in public companies, private investments and real estate.

While it could be a great endorsement for Red Hat, there is still speculation about whether Dell himself chose the company. MSD Capital's policy is not to discuss private investments.

Dell, Inc. does have a history of supporting Linux software. The company was one of the first to invest in Red Hat.

Dell is a 40-year old college dropout and a self-made billionaire. He created his wealth by building computers and selling directly to consumers. His current wealth is estimated at $16 billion by Forbes magazine.