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Mark Culpepper has the uncanny knack — or superpower — of looking around corners to see what the future is bringing. He also has the confidence, tenacity and experience to take leaps of faith on the next big thing.
Mark is general manager, global solar solutions, for DroneBase, the leader in intelligent aerial imaging and data analytics for the entire lifecycle of renewable energy assets. He arrived at DroneBase through acquisition - his own. He foresaw the rise of drone & aerial thermal imaging years before the technology to make it work actually arrived or was cost-effective. But like many entrepreneurs, he positioned himself ahead of the wave, prepared and waited.
Mark already did a deep-dive Tactical Tuesday with us on how DroneBase uses drones and human-crewed aircraft to capture thermal imaging of solar energy systems and turn that into actionable data in Episode 433. Today we'll look at how Mark leveraged his abilities to predict the next big thing to craft a fascinating entrepreneurial role in the industry.
As mentioned briefly a moment ago, Mark landed at DroneBase in 2021 when the company acquired Precision XYZ, a solar-focused drone data services firm Mark founded in 2016. Fresh off a Series C round and an expansion to Europe, DroneBase saw the value in Precision XYZ's analytical and software tools and Mark's intimate knowledge of the solar industry.
Mark designed the industry-leading North American Solar Scan program to scan megaprojects in hours rather than days or weeks and created its first global monitoring operations centers to track power, energy and revenue on solar power plants worldwide.
But how did this preacher's son from coastal California evolve an interest in sustainability to where he is today? His journey hinges in some respects on what he was not — some "Steady Eddie," straight A student as a teen.
"I was not a good student in high school," he said. He believes the best students don't always make the best entrepreneurs, perhaps because they think outside the box.
"I've always been fascinated with strategies and tactics, and I'm a student of history. And if you're a student of history, you're a student of war," he recalled. "As a kid, I was enamored with war games, for whatever reason. I don't know why; it certainly wasn't from my dad or my family. But what those early experiences helped inform was how you can apply detail to strategic initiatives."
Mark transitioned from tech to renewables nearly 20 years ago after shopping for solar for his home. Amazed at the large numbers of companies in the young, maturing industry, he spent about six months researching energy markets. "Everything kept pointing me back to distributed energy resources, specifically solar generation," he said.
He started making cold calls. It was 2004, and PowerLight, a global provider of large-scale solar power systems, was "one of the big dogs," gearing up for its 2007 merger with SunPower.
Mark said PowerLight didn't have time for a young guy with an itch to enter the industry. So he started culling names of value-added resellers from the PowerLight website.
"I just started calling, and if someone was available, I'd go and meet with them. My pitch was straightforward. I was like, 'Hey, I work in the tech sector, and I'm looking to transition into the solar industry, and I'd love to get your thoughts on what works for you, what doesn't, and what that looks like,'" he recalled.
Most people hung up. But not Rick and Angela Lavezzo, the founders of Sacramento-based Team Solar. 'Rick heard me for 30 seconds or a minute. And he said, 'Sure, come on by.'"
He said Rick was an "open book" — a 180-degree change from tech, "where everything is very clandestine, nobody wants to share anything, and everybody has some top secret formula that will make them a millionaire."
They talked. Then Mark started showing up at Team Solar every day. "I didn't have a job," he said. " I was working with them on their strategy, specifically how they could grow their business."
At some point, Rick turned the informal arrangement into a job. "I said, 'Look, I don't need a lot right now, just something to get me started,'" Mark said. Less than a year later, SunEdison acquired Team Solar.
Mark worked at SunEdison for more than five years, first as vice president and then as Chief Technology Officer and general manager of global services.
Mark credits many influences for his success, from his speech and debating experiences in college to crucial lessons he learned early in his career at Cisco Systems under John Chambers' leadership. His journey is authentic, compelling and well worth your time. I invite you to listen to today's podcast.
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES:
“I think that one of the things that a good entrepreneur does, is they’ll take an idea, and then they’ll present the idea out there and the idea either flourishes or dies, sometimes it needs a little nurturing to flourish, but you really have to hammer on it, you know, it really is, like steel in the sense that if it’s not exposed to a little heat and pressure, it doesn’t evolve into what you need it to evolve into.”
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.