Skyler Mott
Lehigh University College of Business
“A prolific ideator with a passion for solving problems that people around me experience.”
Fun fact about yourself: I spent the first ten years of my life playing competitive chess. Before I retired, I was ranked among the top hundred ten-year-olds in the United States.
Hometown: Mill Neck, New York (Long Island)
High School: Friends Academy
Major: Dual Degree, BS in Business and Economics (Management, Entrepreneurship), BA in Cognitive Science
Favorite Business Course: Entrepreneurship 312
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work, and Leadership Roles During College:
Lehigh Thalheimer Grand Prize Finalist.
Lehigh Future Makers Grant $10,000 Prize Recipient. Awarded funds to create an annual Chess event at Lehigh’s Mountaintop Facilities.
Lehigh Eureka Pitch Night winner 10 times.
Holy Cross Cross-tank Pitch Competition Grand Prize recipient
Worcester Woo-tank Pitch Competition Grand Prize recipient
Founder of Mountain Movers Storage and Co., helping 200+ Students move out and store items during summer and winter, 6-figure valuation, and $70,000 in YoY Revenue, Over $5,000 paid in student salaries.
I am the founder of Broadway Realty, a student housing company for Lehigh University students. We were founded to create affordable housing options. I have two newly renovated properties and 12 additional properties are under contract, valued at $5 million dollars.
Founder of Markit Athletics, a track and field products and services company created to help bring athletes identity. Our first product is patent pending.
United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association awarded Academic All-American.
4x Lehigh Dean’s List recipient with a 3.6 or better GPA.
Lehigh Student Senate Leadership Award
Lehigh Contribution to Student Life Award
I founded a chess program in Bethlehem and created after-school programs for students at three local lower schools, helping enhance skills in problem-solving while providing meals. By working with Lehigh student volunteers, we connected our community with the local one.
Head coach and member of the Men’s club basketball team, founder and president of Lehigh University Chess Club
Captain of 130-person Division 1 track and field team. Multiple-time Patriot League Medalist, 3rd all-time high jumper at Lehigh.
Lehigh University Student Scholar Institute mentor, working with 15+ freshmen every month to help with first-year adjustment to school.
Lehigh University student panelist, speaking in front of prospective students to help them decide on their next steps.
Assistant in Lehigh College of Education, traveling into schools to conduct math assessments and picture book learning skills with students 10 and under.
Participant in Lehigh Silicon Valley, week-long winter term program immersing students in the Bay Area entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Participant in Lehigh Computer Science and Business in Barcelona. I led the marketing efforts for a European startup, managing communications with top transportation companies and helping refine the company’s online presence. I worked cross-functionally with HR and development teams to address client challenges, optimizing solutions to improve customer satisfaction.
Participant in Lehigh Business in Vietnam. I interacted with key stakeholders, business owners, executives, and government officials. The trip aims to integrate global academic concepts learned in the classroom with the realities and functioning of business in these international markets.
Guest Speaker in 3 Lehigh undergraduate courses
Bethlehem Running Festival Volunteer
Where have you interned during your college career?
College Truckers: Student Partner (Bethlehem, PA)
Vanguard Software Factory: Head of Marketing and Sales (Barcelona, Spain)
AlphaSights: Executive Partnerships Intern (New York)
Where will you be working after graduation?
Graduate School, Undecided
Full-time Entrepreneur Options (COO of Contracta, CEO of WoodGood, CEO of Broadway Real Estate, CEO of Markit-Athletics, CEO of Chess)
Who is your favorite business professor? Andreea Kiss has been a professor of mine for two classes and has continued to act as a mentor. She consistently meets with me to discuss my ventures. I started my venture, Markit Athletics, in her class. Her consistent belief in me and encouragement to pursue my ideas have helped me reach this point in my career. Her teaching style makes students feel more comfortable taking risks.
What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? It’s not the people with the best ideas but the people who take action through strategic risk management that are successful.
What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? Take every opportunity that presents itself to you. You are young and can afford to make mistakes, so don’t be afraid to fail. Putting yourself out there will help you more than anything.
Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? I wish I had asked for help sooner. I was unaware of Lehigh’s resources until my sophomore year.
What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? The Lehigh Capstone Course Management 301 with Professor Kuchta has made AI integral to the course. We started using it on every task to help organize our thoughts and create initial plans that would make us more efficient. I learned to use AI to help me with busy work. Tasks like organizing and creating data sheets and APA citations are now done with a single click. ChatGPT has become my personal Google.
Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of the purchase of my first home. I was 19 and realized that all juniors and seniors live off campus during their upperclassmen years. When looking into rent, I realized that the mortgage cost was the same as the monthly rent. From that moment, I was determined to buy my first home. Through various strategies and creative financing, I accomplished that goal. I spent the entire summer replacing the floors, painting the walls, putting in blinds, an outdoor fence, a new refrigerator, and a washer/dryer. I managed to finish all the renovations by the start of school and had 5 students living there in my junior year.
Which classmate do you most admire? The classmate that I most admire is Maria Gregoire. She is the most phenomenal person that I have ever met. She is pursuing a dual degree in Psychology and HMS and a minor in Asian Studies. She is involved across campus, serving as a United Nations representative and on the executive board for Club Tennis, Dmax, Peer Health, and the Asian Cultural Society. She also works as a Lehigh University Student Scholar Institute Mentor, and for the police department. Furthermore, she serves the community as a Victory House volunteer and tutor. Last summer she participated in Lehigh’s Serve Antigua. After this, Maria spent her summer working on research in Hong Kong for Hutchinson Port Holdings.
Through all of her involvement, her most valuable trait often goes unnoticed. Her unwavering commitment to helping others through any means necessary. Everyone who knows her loves her because it always feels like you are prioritized. She always checks in, and she never forgets the little things. In the Business school, we always talk about the importance of networking and talking to as many people as possible. Maria has accidentally created the largest network of meaningful relationships compared to any undergraduate student because of the impact she leaves on people around her. Maria isn’t from the States and was raised to approach things from a collectivist standpoint. She looks at life differently, is constantly aware of other situations, and never blames others. I was lucky enough to meet her on the first day of school, and her determination to make the world a better place motivated me to start.
Who would you most want to thank for your success? I would like to thank Chris Kauzmann for my success. In my freshman year, I had no idea what my future would look like. Before winter break, we sat down and talked for 30 minutes about my first project, Motts Gambit. He told me about the world of entrepreneurship and that it was possible to be my own boss. He introduced me to the shark tank pitch competitions and encouraged me to go on the Lehigh Silicon Valley trip to meet people in our industry. He continues to take time out of his life to motivate students to make improvements to our world.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
1. I would love to grow a company to a million-dollar valuation
2. I would like to work in international business at some point as I continue developing my Spanish and Mandarin speaking skills.
What made Skyler such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2025?
“Skyler Mott is one of the hardest working, creative, and execution-focused students I’ve worked with in the decade I’ve spent with student founders. Not only does he possess the ability to identify market opportunities, generate creative ideas, and execute on those ideas, he does so with a kindness, charm, and support of others that is truly exceptional. Skyler has not only been an exceptional student, but a role model to other students. I’m excited to see where Skyler takes life as he is ready to take on new challenges, push beyond what he has been exposed to so far, and has the mindset to take full advantage of the opportunities put in front of him.”
Chris Kauzmann
Innovator in Residence, Office of Entrepreneurship
Lehigh University
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