Sky Dayton
USA- Early Life and Influences
- Education and Business Beginnings
- The World Wide Web Beckons
- Founder of EarthLink
- eCompanies and Boingo
- Leadership and Recognition
- Personal Life and Interests
Early Life and Influences
Sky Dylan Dayton was born on August 8, 1971, in New York City to a sculptor father and a dancer/poet mother. After relocating to Los Angeles shortly after his birth, Dayton spent time living with his maternal grandparents. His grandfather, David DeWitt, was a research scientist at IBM, which sparked Dayton's early interest in technology and computers. At age 9, he received his first computer, the Sinclair ZX81, and taught himself BASIC programming.
Education and Business Beginnings
At 16, Dayton graduated from the Delphian School, a boarding school in Oregon that employed educational methods developed by L. Ron Hubbard. He then worked in advertising, specializing in Apple Macintosh hardware and digital imaging software, eventually becoming a division manager for digital imaging at the large advertising agency Mednick & Associates.
In late 1990, Dayton and a friend used their own and family funds to open the art gallery and coffee shop Mocha Gallery in Los Angeles. Six months later, the venue was renamed Cafe Mocha, with no art connection. The trendy cafe received coverage in the LA Times, Vogue, and on MTV's House of Style. Dayton and his partner soon took over another cafe, Joe Café, in Studio City, California.
The World Wide Web Beckons
In 1993, Dayton learned about the World Wide Web. After spending 80 hours getting his Mac online, he recognized its potential for widespread adoption. In 1994, at age 23, he embarked on creating EarthLink.
Founder of EarthLink
Dayton sought initial funding from his father's childhood friend, Kevin O'Donnell, and Reed Slatkin. Other early backers included Robert Kavner, Chip Lacy, and notable investors George Soros and venture capitalist David Wetherell. Starting in a 600-square-foot office in Los Angeles, the company expanded rapidly, and in the summer of 1995, EarthLink went national through a content agreement with industry giant UUNET.
In 1996, Dayton began transitioning day-to-day operations of the company to Charles "Garry" Betty, stepping down as CEO. During this period, the company grew by 5-10% weekly, eventually becoming one of the country's leading internet service providers, serving millions of customers and generating annual revenues exceeding $1 billion.
eCompanies and Boingo
In June 1999, Dayton became a non-executive board member of EarthLink and announced the formation of eCompanies with former Disney Internet executive Jake Winebaum. The privately held eCompanies started as an incubator and venture capital fund for developing internet startups. It ultimately spun out several successful companies, including LowerMyBills.com (acquired by Experian for $380 million in 2005) and JAMDAT Mobile (bought by Electronic Arts in the same year for $680 million).
Sky took on the challenge of Boingo Wireless in 2001, aiming to address the fragmentation issues prevalent in Wi-Fi networks. Boingo's systems enabled Wi-Fi to work across hundreds of thousands of "hotspots," making the company one of the largest Wi-Fi operators globally. Dayton became chairman of Boingo.
Leadership and Recognition
Dayton became CEO of Helio upon its launch in 2005. He then stepped down as chairman of EarthLink but remained a director. In January 2008, he was named chairman of the board of Helio, which was acquired by Virgin Mobile USA in 2008.
Dayton serves on the advisory board of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has been named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. He is a TR100 Awardee and a recipient of the Dream Keeper award from the I Have a Dream Foundation.
Personal Life and Interests
In 1998, Dayton began taking surfing lessons and quickly developed a passion for the sport. His love of surfing has often been featured in articles about him and his businesses.
Sky Dayton is married to novelist Arwen Elys Dayton, and they have three children. The couple is affiliated with Scientology, a religious philosophy.
