Troy Swope
Co-Founder & CEO
Footprint
Gilbert, AZ USA
“Listen to your heart. Listen to your gut. Keep pushing.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationTroy Swope
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
I played football in school and had the mindset that I was there to play sports rather than focus on academics.
I got the opportunity to do an internship with Intel and loved it—I was really drawn in by the competitive culture and the energy that stemmed from leading the computer revolution.
I spent seven years in research and development at Intel and then eight years running a materials organization.
After realizing that shipping Intel’s products was contaminating them with plastic, I started getting concerned about all of the other products—like food—that could be contaminated.
I started bringing food products into Intel for testing—everything that we tested was contaminated with plastic.
My business partner and I eventually founded Footprint, which is focused on designing, developing, and manufacturing alternative, healthier solutions to plastic.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Co-Founder & CEO
I lead a materials science technology company focused on creating plant-based solutions to replace plastics.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Business
Technology
Problem Solving
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
The easiest way to prove that you have discipline and can get things done is through education. Mastering high school math and science is important. A college degree shows people that you have the discipline to accomplish things. But if you can prove your intelligence and hustle without a degree, that's great too. Without my own college degree, I was leading people at Intel who had advanced degrees. There are multiple avenues to success if you can prove your intelligence, discipline, and drive.
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"Why would you want to leave Intel? You shouldn't risk it."
Interviewed By
All Paths Arizona
Young Arizonans explore opportunity in their home state
