INTERVIEW

InterviewVIEW INTER Creating Connectivity

An Interview with Robert J. Pera, Founder and Chief Executive Offi cer, Ubiquiti Networks, Inc., and Principal Owner,

My vision with Ubiquiti was to create Internet I struggled over the past few years trying connectivity that is available everywhere. So we’re to determine the difference between building focused on bringing connectivity technology to brand awareness and being humble, substan- the masses while changing the economics associ- tive, and showing results. I prefer to have the ated with such deployments. results speak for themselves. How do you deal with areas of the world Now that we’re a public company, I’m in- that are tougher to become involved in? vesting in more brand awareness and PR for the We have innovative technology that com- company. Robert J. Pera bines hardware and software, and phenomenal What was the thinking behind going user experience, but that alone doesn’t guaran- public? EDITORS’ NOTE Robert Pera has held the role of Chief tee success. We have grown so quickly because I sold some stock, which required the com- Executive Offi cer with Ubiquiti Networks, Inc. since we have taken a very nontraditional approach pany to go public. We weren’t ready at the time October 2005. He also serves as a director of Ubiquiti to building a business. but we have worked hard over the past year to Networks. From January 2003 to February 2005, Pera With the emergence of the Internet and put infrastructure in place and move forward. was a wireless engineer at Apple, Inc. He holds a B.A. social networking, information is disseminated We have a unique business model and a great in Japanese Language, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, very quickly; it’s this type of transparency that story, which will benefi t us in the coming years. and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering (emphasis in keeps customers better informed. Is there still enough of a challenge in Digital Communications RF Circuit Design) from the Ubiquiti offers great technology at very dis- this for you? University of California, San Diego. ruptive economics and we evangelize – we sell Sure. Our vision is ambitious: we’re trying In October 2012, Pera became the principal not with salespeople but through evangelism. to reach the billions of people not connected to- owner of the Memphis Grizzlies (www.nba.com/ This means that the users are operators of our day. We collectively have 10 million subscribers grizzlies), a professional team, which technology – they form profi table businesses, through our carrier technology and that number is part of the Southwest Division of the Western they rave about it, and it spreads virally. will continue to grow in coming years. Conference of the National Basketball Association. Today, we have tens of thousands of entrepre- But we have also started a new piece of neurs and operators using Ubiquiti technology and the business that we call Enterprise Technology, COMPANY BRIEF Ubiquiti Networks (www. it has been all organic growth through evangelism. which are the tools necessary to create appli- ubnt.com) is lowering the barrier for connectiv- What is the revenue model? cations for that connectivity. We have video ity with a mission of empowering underserved At heart, we’re a software company – most of surveillance, energy control conservation, and businesses and communities with innovative our R&D is software and most of the company is information technology for schools, hotels, and and disruptively priced products that make R&D, but we monetize through selling hardware. offi ces. Under those themes of carrier technol- high-performance wireless networking a reality As you have grown, has it become tougher ogy and enterprise technology, we’re going to for everyone. With over 10 million devices de- to manage the business? continue to expand with more products. ployed in over 180 countries, Ubiquiti is among You need a good sense of your priorities. Does everything come back to R&D? the fastest-growing tech companies in Deloitte’s Some business functions require you to be hands- In today’s world, all success starts with Fast 500. on and micromanage; others call for a hands-off R&D, and the quality and value of the product. approach that enables you to empower your team. Traditional business was based on information Did you know you wanted to be an entre- The way I recruit and build engineering asymmetries; in an environment where infor- preneur early on? teams is very unique, as is the way I design and ar- mation asymmetries exist, relationships are very In high school, I had a small business chitect solutions. So I’m hands-on in that respect. powerful. Now the world is moving towards where I set up computers, networks, and some But in other areas of the company, I allow an environment of information transparency. databases that ran software. At that time, I was employees and engineers to manage themselves Where that dominates, as in our case, the real doing pretty well for myself. But I have always because I know I’ve hired people that boast disci- value is the technology that wins out. I’m 100 had a mind that questioned the status quo. I pline, resourcefulness, and creativity. They don’t percent focused on R&D and on our business never listened to what others said about how require a lot of process, system, and management. model. you should form your career. Questioning ev- How did you develop your business Do the analysts understand the com- erything led to my success. savvy? pany? Has it been tough to get the message What did you see in the market at the time Growing up, I always wanted to be the across? that made you feel Ubiquiti could fi ll a void? best and I was extremely competitive. It seemed I don’t know that they understand it yet Ubiquiti comes from the word “ubiquitous,” that I was always better at understanding mar- because it’s radically different from a traditional which means everywhere. Most of the world’s kets, creating a vision, and building teams. company, and a lot of people question the scal- population is not connected to the Internet so I had some business sense, but I didn’t go to ability of the model. The best we can do is con- there is a substantial digital divide among those business school – it has all been intuitive. tinue to talk to them about the vision and when in remote and under-connected areas versus the Is it important to emphasize brand aware- it becomes reality, my hope is that we get full rest of the world. ness or does the platform not need it? credit for calling the future.• 206 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2013 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 36, NUMBER 4