Brian Bennett

Brian Bennett has held various roles in the LED lighting industry since 2008. Brian began their career as an Optical Applications Engineer at Luminus Devices, which was acquired by Sanan Optoelectronics. Brian then moved to GSI Group as an Electro-Optical Engineer, designing, developing, and testing laser-based electro-optical systems. In 2010, they took on a Product Manager role at Philips Lighting and a Director of Engineering - LED role at Toyota Tsusho America, where they were responsible for managing the engineering department and overseeing product development. In 2013, they joined Illumis Lights as their first employee and Technology Director, tasked with building and managing their technical teams. Since 2015, they have been the CEO and Founder of Thrive Agritech, the market leader in high performance, high efficiency LED lighting for indoor agriculture.

Brian Bennett attended the University of Rochester from 2004 to 2008, where they obtained a B.S. in Optical Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics. In 2012, they obtained a Lighting Certification (LC) from the NCQLP. In 2015, they attended Y Combinator.