Hayes Barnard is an American entrepreneur. He is currently the founder, chairman, and CEO of

GoodLeap GoodLeap, formerly Loanpal, is a finance technology company that provides financing options for the residential solar energy industry. The company was founded in 2003 as Paramount Equity and was later rebranded to Loanpal. In June 2021, the com ...

, a technology-based finance company. Barnard is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of GivePower, a nonprofit that facilitates solar powered projects to provide clean water and energy systems to underserved communities.

Early life and education

Barnard was born and raised by a single mother in Creve Coeur,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, a suburb of

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. His father left when Barnard was three years old. Barnard graduated from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

with a degree in management and marketing. He won a football scholarship to Central Missouri State, but was injured during his freshman year and subsequently transferred to the

, where he graduated with a degree in management and marketing.

Career

In 1995 Barnard went to San Francisco to be a part of the hi-tech boom. His first jobs were manning booths at trade shows. He then went on to work at

Oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

as a sales executive. In September 2003, Barnard founded Paramount Equity Mortgage (later renamed to Loanpal and subsequently rebranded to GoodLeap), one of the first to provide online residential home loans. In 2008, he founded Paramount Solar, a subsidiary of Paramount Equity Mortgage, and became CEO. In 2011,

Guthy-Renker Guthy-Renker ( ) is a California-based direct-response marketing company that sells health and beauty products directly to consumers through infomercials, television ads, direct mail, telemarketing, e-mail marketing, and the Internet. Many of ...

became an investor and business partner assisting in the growth of Paramount Equity Mortgage and Paramount Solar. Barnard and Guthy-Renker also partnered with SolarCity. In 2013, Paramount Solar was acquired by SolarCity for $120 million and Barnard became SolarCity's Chief Revenue Officer. As Chief Revenue Officer, he managed a team of 8,000. He was also responsible for the company's growth and grew megawatts installed 300% from 2013 to 2015. In 2014, Barnard founded

GivePower GivePower is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that develops clean water and energy systems in communities across the world. GivePower has installed 2,650 solar power installations in villages across 17 different countries and in underdeveloped ...

while at SolarCity. GivePower is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that develops clean water and energy systems in underserved communities in developing countries. GivePower has developed water and energy systems in 17 countries, including communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In 2018, Barnard's non-profit organization built a solar-powered desalination system in

Kiunga, Kenya Kiunga is a division in the Lamu District of Coast Province located close to the Indian Ocean coast of northern Kenya, and only 15 kilometres to the border with Somalia. A major marine conservation area, the Kiunga Marine National Reserve has its ...

that produces 19,800 gallons of fresh drinking water a day. The organization also assisted the Sioux Nation in North Dakota in developing a 300-kilowatt solar farm in North Dakota, the first solar farm in the state. In 2016, Barnard left SolarCity and took on the role of chairman and CEO of Loanpal, a financial technology platform that provides financing for clean energy products. In 2020, Barnard started an asset management fund, GoodFinch. In 2021, Loanpal rebranded to GoodLeap, "good for life, earth and prosperity."

Personal life

Barnard lives in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

with his wife and three children. In October 2022, Barnard appeared on the cover of Forbes Magazine and ranked #271 on the Forbes 400 list with an estimated net worth of $4 billion. Forbes also awarded Barnard a self-made score of 10 out of 10, a score received by only 28 out of the 400 list members.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnard, Hayes Living people American chief executives of financial services companies People associated with solar power American company founders Year of birth missing (living people)