People to Meet in 2022: Aaron Birt

Photo | Erika Sidor Aaron Birt

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Aaron Birt

Title: Co-founder & CEO
Company: Solvus Global, in Worcester

Read about all 22 People to Meet in 2022.
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The photo would have been perfect.

Before he took his official event portrait at WBJ’s 40 Under Forty event in September, honoree Aaron Birt asked me to take an impromptu photo with him. He had just danced and strutted his way down the red carpet, as 38 other winners had done before him. Once he got on stage at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, he wanted to recreate the leaping running man photo he took that summer for the WBJ magazine, during a high-energy shoot with a handful of his fellow winners.

At the event, Aaron and I stood briefly on opposite sides of the stage, ran at each other, leapt into the air, and smiled for the crowd when a flash popped as we reached the midpoint of our jumps. That 40 Under Forty was WBJ’s return to in-person events after more than 18 months off. 40 Under Forty is normally a big party anyway, but every person I met that evening was particularly joyful, feeling the exhilaration of being back together. Maybe, just maybe (but not really, it turned out) COVID was in the rearview. When the crowd laughed as Aaron and I jumped, a year and a half of pent-up emotions radiated out of me.

All the 40 Under Forty winners are special people, but Aaron Birt and his business partner Sean Kelly were among the standouts this year. While both were PhD students at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, they founded Solvus Global, a technology solutions provider for the manufacturing industry. In three years, Solvus has secured research deals with the likes of the Army Research Laboratory, U.S. Navy, and National Science Foundation, grown to $5 million in annual revenue, and opened three locations. The opening for its latest Leominster location included the awarding of a $1.6-million state grant and was attended by dignitaries like Congressman Jim McGovern.

Beyond his business success, Aaron is giving back to the community, helping to support the Central Mass. entrepreneurial ecosystem. Not bad for someone originally from Pennsylvania, who only came to the region for WPI. More than all this, Aaron is a fun guy to be around, with a big smile and a zest for life. He’s the only person I’ve ever met who has realistic life goals of exploring outer space, visiting all seven continents, and scuba diving around the world.

Much can be said about the next few years for the Central Mass. business community, but with up-and-coming businesspeople like Aaron Birt, that future seems a little brighter. That’s why he – along with 21 other professionals listed in the Economic Forecast edition – is a person you should meet in 2022.

The only disappointment I had came after the 40 Under Forty event. The photographer told me her camera had glitched, and my photo with Aaron was never taken. I was crushed. That photo would have been perfect.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Solvus Global secured a contract with IPG Photonics. Aaron Birt secured that deal before he co-founded Solvus, to cover his Ph.D. research at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.