Alumnus, Backblaze CEO a Berkeley Innovator

By Morgan Bernstein

Backblaze CEO Gleb Budman, MBA 99Gleb Budman, BS 95, MBA 99, founded his first company during his senior year at Berkeley’s College of Engineering, balancing coursework and student activities with the preparation of business plans and product prototypes.

Today, twenty years later, Budman has earned his MBA, founded three companies, and led the product design from pre-funding through acquisition at two others.

He is currently CEO of Backblaze, a data storage company offering unlimited online backup services for $5/month. 

Looking back at his years at Berkeley, Budman emphasizes the value of the connections he has built along the way. He told Berkeley Innovators, “The people I’ve met through Berkeley and Haas have been among the most open, kind, and grounded ones I’ve known." He advice to students? "Get to know your classmates and stay in touch. In addition to being great people to hang out with, they’re likely to be excellent future partners, employees, or investors."

Read the Berkeley Innovators Story

 

Posted on March 21, 2015
Themes: Alumni  |  Entrepreneurship
Morgan Bernstein
Morgan was the Executive Director of Full-time MBA Admissions at Haas from 2016-2019 as well as a graduate of the program. She enjoys making personal connections with prospective students and guiding them through the MBA admission process.