By Jordan Phelps
MountainWest Capital Network named Pluralsight CEO Aaron Skonnard their Entrepreneur of the Year for 2016. MountainWest Capital Network is Utah’s largest networking organization and each year they recognize a Utah entrepreneur who has built an industry-leading Utah-based company, inspired others to do the same and who also finds a way to give back to the community.
“The Utah economy is booming due in large part to the business leadership provided by Aaron and his company,” said Drew Yergensen, MWCN Entrepreneur of the Year event chair. “Aaron is a shining example of the contributions great entrepreneurs can make to the state of Utah and the people who live and work here.”
Skonnard, who founded Pluralsight in 2004, has lead the company through two rounds of funding. In August of 2014, they raised one of Utah’s biggest funding rounds at $135 million in Series B funding. Also in 2014, Pluralsight acquired Digital-Tutors in a $45 million deal. Currently the company has more than 4,500 courses offered on their education platform.
To help the Utah community Skonnard is also chairman of the Start Foundation, which is an independent organization that helps connect the tech community to help better Utah. Pluralsight also partnered with the Governor of Utah, the White House TechHire Initiative, and other organizations to provide free learning to K-12 teachers in Utah and to help the unemployed learn new skills.
“Aaron’s entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and his talented and professional workforce have built Pluralsight into one of the strongest and most successful anchor companies in Utah. He embodies the traits and success of a long line of entrepreneurs recognized by MountainWest Capital Network. It is a pleasure to recognize Aaron as the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year,” said Todd A. Reece, president of MountainWest Capital Network.
