Chet Pipkin

Chet is a respected veteran in the technology and consumer electronics markets, having founded and grown Belkin to a billion-dollar global industry leader. He has partnered with the largest technology companies in the world bringing innovations to market. His focus is on creating exceptional experiences for people and helping to repair the earth, leveraging technology. He’s an active inventor, investor, board member, advisor, coach, and mentor to a wide range of technology and sustainable startups and successful companies.

His passion is assisting, supporting, and developing people. While his nonprofit and philanthropic leadership covers a broad range of worthwhile work, his primary focus is on underserved youth, education, and the environment. He is an accomplished leader in education, cofounding several schools serving society’s most underrepresented and deserving youth with the most effective and approachable innovations in education. Da Vinci RISE High School was founded specifically to address the unique needs of foster, unhoused, transitory, and other youth traditional education has often left behind. The schools emphasize project based, real world, competency-based education.

Chet’s most recent work has been in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin, supporting the community, local businesses, education, environmental stewards, and the fragile beautiful environment itself. Partnering with, volunteering for, and funding schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations.

A primary objective in his work is imagining and creating special experiences for people, whether that’s through technology, education, sustainability, cowork, or his new boutique hotels. His most recent launch of Untethered cowork space and Desolation Hotel in South Lake Tahoe focus on the experience of the member, guest, and staff.

At Desolation Hotel, guests enter a sanctuary of relaxed comfort, luxurious amenities, wilderness inspired surroundings, and inviting indulgence in various sauna, soaking, and relaxing activities. Adventures are a moment away on the hotel’s bicycles, short walk to the shared private beach, ski resort, hikes, world class concerts and more. Maggie’s, the on-site restaurant and bar, provides tantalizing dining experiences. The warm and welcoming staff are experts in their own respective passions, with insider knowledge of the best local activities, who love to share their experiences and curate special moments for their guests. Care and attention was given to sustainability, natural resources, and the community as the hotel was developed, and that care continues. Guests make a contribution just by staying there, including a new tree planted in the Tahoe basin for every night stayed. Guests have their own special experience and contribute to local good all at the same time.