30 Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, as I was building the company, I reflected on my strengths and weaknesses. Despite a history in engineering and technology, my business acumen was not as strong. A good entrepreneur is on a contin- uous journey of education and training. I completed several business accelerator programs based on the pitch that they are better and faster than traditional education. My first semester of graduate school at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) debunked this assertion. The NSU M.B.A. program does not gloss over critical areas such as accounting, organizational culture, and business strategy. Perhaps I was fortunate both Drs. Leslie and Tom Towroger were my first graduate program professors at NSU. Their style of instruction was more collaborative, and I felt more like a professional colleague being mentored instead of just a student. We remain in contact. As I ascended the ranks of a Fortune 100 software company, my role changed to research and development. Most would think this would catapult a career. That was not the case for me. I was exposed to corporate politics. Many times, mediocracy was rewarded and innovation was ignored. An executive vice president noticed my growing frustration and handed me a copy of The Innovator’s Dilemma. The author described why the classic corporate organization fails, especially in technology companies. I then read the follow-up book The Innovator’s Solution, which detailed how a smaller tech company outperforms large companies and is the driving force behind acquisitions. I determined that the only way to make the best use of my talents was to take a leap of faith and build a company of my own— Culper Technologies. We are innovating energy conservation, improving comfort, and designing solutions with the notion that“technology works for you; you do not work for technology.” Meet an Inventor PEDRO “PETER” LLAGUNO, M.B.A. M.B.A. (’22), B.S., CSIS (’18) CEO and President, Culper Technologies, Inc. Cuban-American born Peter Llaguno is a former U.S. Navy nuclear propulsion engineer, self-taught programmer, and two-time NSU graduate who started his own company to become a serial inventor on the premise, “Why settle on smart when you can have intelligence?” Shark Encounters H. WAYNE HUIZENGA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP n COLLEGE OF COMPUTING AND ENGINEERING
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