Skylar Bagdon ’22 recently joined our Sustainable Innovation MBA (SI-MBA) students as part of the program's Innovator in Residence speaker series. As the CEO of , a thin-film solar panel start-up, he shared his journey from being an aspiring inventor at the age of eight, to attending ¶¶Òõ̽̽ (¶¶Òõ̽̽) as an engineering student to fulfill that vision.
As many of us learn, a career path isn’t always straightforward, and in Skylar’s case, SI-MBA students learned about the detours he encountered along the way. These included spending 72 hours over a weekend with friends to build a prototype for a device that generated power from the wearer’s steps. This led him to discovering his passion for creating new technologies and bringing them to life which also led him to dropping out of ¶¶Òõ̽̽ temporarily.
While working to build his company, Skylar realized he had a lot to learn and needed the camaraderie, support, and expertise of others to be successful, which led him to restarting at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ and pitching his own major: a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Technology Commercialization. During this time at ¶¶Òõ̽̽ he founded the Academic Research Commercialization (ARC) Program, which helps bring academic technology and research to market. Through the development of ARC, is where Skylar met the scientists and academics who developed the ground-breaking technology behind Verde Technologies.
As CEO, Skylar has led Verde Technologies through winning top prizes at Cleantech Open, the largest cleantech accelerator in the world, raising both private and public funding, as well as being named as one of the primary commercial partners on the US Department of Energy's center to commercialize next-generation solar technology.
During his time with SI-MBA students, Skylar shared some of the challenges as well as accomplishments he has faced as a young entrepreneur. He also talked about the challenges of burnout and creating a company culture that values hard work and self-care. Skylar engaged the students in helping him think through different market challenges for Verde Technologies as they consider further fundraising rounds. Mostly, he inspired the SI-MBA students to do hard things and to believe in themselves; he acknowledged that imposter syndrome is real but if they get input from others they trust and respect about their ideas and strategies, then they should be confident to go after them!
The SI-MBA Innovator in Residence speaker series provides an open and intimate forum for SI-MBA students to hear from and interact with thought leaders in the socially responsible business arena. Innovators in Residence share their personal experiences drawn from work in B Corporations, sustainable development, social enterprises, impact investing, socially responsible businesses and leading nonprofits. Learn more about the SI-MBA curriculum and Innovator in Residence program and past speakers.