Career
In 1995 Barnard went to San Francisco to be a part of the hi-tech boom. His first jobs were manning booths at trade shows.[5] He then went on to work at Oracle as a sales executive.[12] In September 2003, Barnard founded Paramount Equity Mortgage (later renamed to Loanpal and subsequently rebranded to GoodLeap),[13] one of the first to provide online[5] residential home loans.[1][14] In 2008, he founded Paramount Solar, a subsidiary of Paramount Equity Mortgage, and became CEO.[1] In 2024, GoodLeap, announced that it had financed more than $20 billion in sustainable home-improvement loans, highlighting the company's ongoing growth in the clean-energy sector.[15]
In 2011, Guthy-Renker became an investor and business partner assisting in the growth of Paramount Equity Mortgage and Paramount Solar.[14] Barnard and Guthy-Renker also partnered with SolarCity.[12] In 2013, Paramount Solar was acquired by SolarCity for $120 million[12][16] and Barnard became SolarCity's Chief Revenue Officer.[17][18] As Chief Revenue Officer, he managed a team of 8,000.[19] He was also responsible for the company's growth and grew megawatts installed 300% from 2013 to 2015.[12]
In 2014, Barnard founded GivePower[18] while at SolarCity.[18] GivePower is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[21] that develops clean water and energy systems in underserved communities in developing countries.[22][23] GivePower has developed water and energy systems in 17 countries,[22] including communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.[17][18] In 2018, Barnard's non-profit organization built a solar-powered desalination system in Kiunga, Kenya
In 2016, Barnard left SolarCity and took on the role of chairman and CEO of Loanpal, a financial technology platform that provides financing for clean energy products.[1][26][27]
In 2020, Barnard started an asset management fund, GoodFinch.[2]
In 2021, Loanpal rebranded to GoodLeap,[28] "good for life, earth and prosperity."[5]
