Made of several aerospace and defense component companies, Novaria Group was founded in 2011 with the mission of improving the industry’s supply chain. Founder Bryan Perkins saw that small parts suppliers were fragmented, and felt he could add value by bringing a sense of order and
Linear Labs Inc.
B RYA N P E R K I N S | Fo u n d e r, C EO, a n d P re si d e nt
efficiency to it all. He rolled the dice, putting his entire net worth into the venture. Each of its acquisitions more than doubled sales within the
first three years. And today, Novaria’s EBITDA margins are over 20 percent on $200 million in sales. Perkins says specialization is critical in today’s economy. “You must become a master of your craft,” he says. And despite the disruptions in 2020, he sees a silver
lining. “This will create an abundance of opportunities for us to take the company into a variety of new areas,” he says. “The market will be challenging for a bit, but our discipline in operations and ability to acquire and scale will create a sustainable machine.”
B R A D H U N S TA B LE C EO FR E D H U N S TA B LE C TO
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR EMERGING OR WOULD-BE ENTREPRENEURS? “Maintain your integrity and follow your intuition. Beware of the sharks. Do it your way and do not comprise. Don’t worry about superficial tech startup accolades.” .”
“Dispel the notion that entrepreneurship is sexy. If your idea is not something that you’re prepared to sell your car or liquidate your savings for, then it’s not enough.”
“Do not wait, go for it now. If you wait until you are 100 percent comfortable in your decision or your ability as an entrepreneur, you will never be fully ready.”
MIKE KINDER
M AT TH E W GA B R I E L
J O H N R O BY
J I M S H O P PA
C o - Fo u n d e r a n d C EO Ve r ya b l e
C EO X R I Fo u nt a i n Q u a il
C EO, Te a l N atu ra l R e s o u rce s
P re si d e nt , S h o p p a ’s M ate ri a l H a n d li n g
B . H U N S TA B L E
F. H U N S TA B L E
CriticalStart was founded in 2012 by self-confessed security geek Rob Davis in response to 2011 nation-state breaches.
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“My advice is to never underestimate the value of experience. You don’t learn something until you’ve gone through it, gleaning important insights along the way.”
Don’t underestimate the potential impact of Fort Worth-based Linear Labs. Innovators Brad Hunstable and his father, Fred, were looking for a way to help developing countries. “It was thought to be impossible to generate usable electricity from the slow-moving, hightorque application of a windmill,” Brad says. “But if we could, we could give these countries clean water, LED lighting, and maybe even power a water heater for villages.” After years of research and experiments, they discovered their first linear generator that would create electricity in such applications. It ultimately led to a breakthrough in motor and generator technology. “Many energy experts around the world are calling our motors and generator the most important discovery in energy in 100 years,” Brad says.
E A R LY O N
SOLUTIONS
TA L E N T
C U LT U R E
When he was in middle school, Davis’ family had a computer that needed more storage, so he took it upon himself to create a cassette tape back-up system.
Davis launched CriticalStart because he felt those seeking cybersecurity solutions were focused on products only, not people, processes, and configurations.
In an industry with a low unemployment rate, CriticalStart focuses on crossteam collaboration and other ways to create meaningful work experiences.
Davis has built his company’s culture around three core principals: Do what’s right for the customer, don’t do things that suck, and do what’s right for employees.
OCTOBER 2020
EY ENTREPRENEUR of THE YEAR
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