Cary Steven Katz, born January 29, 1970, is an American businessman, entrepreneur, and recreational poker player from a Jewish family originally based in Georgia (with varying reports on his exact birthplace between Texas and Atlanta). Influenced by traditional family values in his upbringing, he earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia. In 1999, Katz founded the College Loan Corporation, where he served as CEO for 15 years until approximately 2014. He entered the poker scene with his first recorded tournament cash in 2004 at Festa al Lago II in Las Vegas, finishing 24th in a $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em event, and has continued as a recreational player with notable finishes such as 159th in the 2009 World Series of Poker. His business ventures extend into media as the founder of PokerGO, where he maintains professional partnerships including with Philip Anschutz, and he is recognized as a major conservative political donor.