In the spring of 1986, three tech employees from California — armed with a handful of Apple computers and their shared experience from working together at Linkabit — founded Viasat.
Mark Dankberg, Steve Hart, and Mark Miller’s work and determination paid off, securing two government defense contracts in their first year — helping them secure $300,000 in venture capital. This capital allowed them to develop their first product, a signal-to-noise ratio device for the U.S. Army, which established Viasat’s reputation for excellence.
“We didn’t have any outside financing when we started the company,” noted Viasat CEO and Chairman of the Board Mark Dankberg in a previous interview with Battlespace Technology. “Our startup capital was just that we were willing to work for a little while without pay. Our first office was just a spare bedroom in my house.
“But, fortunately we found customers immediately, so we were able to generate revenue and we didn’t have to work without pay for very long. Once we were in business, then we were able to really engage with a small venture fund and raised a few hundred thousand dollars in seed money after about 4 months. That enabled us to move out of my house.”
Engineering Manager Dan Schneider’s remembers the company’s humble beginnings. As employee #8, Schneider’s first job at Viasat was to build a bookshelf.
“We were opportunistic and hungry,” Schneider said. “It was important to have people that could shift gears and come up to speed on whatever it was they needed to be good at.
“I was sold on Viasat. I was a young engineer, and I was excited about the opportunities a start-up provides. And in retrospect, I feel like every employee there had a really significant impact on the trajectory of the company. “
That trajectory has helped Viasat grow into the international, multi-segmented connectivity and communications company it is today, serving airline, government, enterprise, energy, maritime, and residential customers around the world — to the tune of $2.6 billion in revenue for FY23. And the same spirit of entrepreneurship that Viasat was founded on continues to guide the company as it moves forward— most notably with the recent acquisition of Inmarsat, which expands Viasat’s ability to deliver new and advanced services for mobile and fixed segments, broadband communications, internet of things, and direct to device.
“I think we have a truly unique culture of innovation. Somehow we’ve been able to create and sustain an environment where we can attract really talented people, as well as customers who bring us challenging and economically valuable projects, and maintain a work environment that’s intense but collegial and ultimately enjoyable and individually rewarding on multiple levels,” said Dankberg to Battlespace Technology.
“We’ve also been able to retain great people who have stayed with us for decades, and also simultaneously attract new people and new college graduates who both share and re-ignite the enthusiasm of our veterans. We believe that we are fortunate to have the people who make the company successful and we do our best to show our appreciation for what they accomplish – largely by continuing to invest in them and our work environment. I think one of the best things we offer our people is the opportunity for personal growth – which is a natural consequence of the fact that the scope of Viasat’s skills and capabilities are constantly expanding.”
Which goes to show that Viasat’s ongoing spirit of entrepreneurship is good for the company. Good for its people. And ultimately — good for our customers.
