# Karl Sun

**Type:** person
**Status:** Draft
**Confidence:** Medium
**Focus:** B2B SaaS, visual collaboration, enterprise software, founder leadership
**Location:** South Jordan, UT
**Updated:** 2026-06-21
**Hero:** https://picsum.photos/seed/karl-sun-2026/1600/1100
**Pull:** *BYU graduate who co-founded Lucidchart and built one of Utah's largest private SaaS companies.*
**Relates:** helps [Lucid Software](lucid-software.md)
**Relates:** cites [Profile: Karl Sun — Lucid Software](karl-sun-lucid-bio.md)

## Summary

Karl Sun is the co-founder and CEO of Lucid Software, the South Jordan, Utah company behind Lucidchart and Lucidspark. He co-founded Lucid with Ben Dilts in 2010 after both graduated from Brigham Young University. Under Sun's leadership, Lucid grew to serve tens of millions of users — including a large share of Fortune 500 companies — and raised a reported $100M Series E in 2021 at a valuation exceeding $3 billion, making it one of the highest-valued private technology companies ever headquartered in Utah.

Sun's background is notable for its unusual path: before founding Lucid, he worked at Google in early career roles. He returned to Utah, co-founded Lucid with a BYU classmate, and scaled it without relocating to the Bay Area — a decision that helped cement Silicon Slopes as a legitimate home for enterprise SaaS.

## Impact

Sun and Dilts built Lucid into the flagship example that Utah can produce a durable, enterprise-grade SaaS company from founding through unicorn scale without leaving the state. Lucid's headcount — reportedly more than 1,000 employees with the majority in Utah — represents one of the larger white-collar engineering and product employment bases in the state.

As CEO through growth and stability, Sun provides a live reference point for enterprise SaaS founders building in Utah: the market for visual collaboration exists globally, the talent can be found locally, and enterprise sales does not require Silicon Valley proximity.

## What They Offer

- Operator experience scaling a B2B SaaS company from zero to $3B+ valuation
- Deep knowledge of enterprise diagramming, collaboration, and real-time co-editing product challenges
- Utah-rooted founder network spanning BYU alumni, Silicon Slopes community, and early enterprise SaaS
- Evidence that staying in Utah rather than relocating is compatible with institutional venture investment and enterprise customer acquisition

## What They Are Looking For

No public signals of advisory or investment activity. As a sitting CEO, Sun's primary role is running Lucid. Utah ecosystem and BYU alumni contexts are where he has historically been most visible.

## Proof of Work

- Co-founded Lucid Software (2010); still CEO as of 2026
- Oversaw growth to 10M+ users and Fortune 500 penetration
- Led Series E (2021, reported $100M, $3B+ valuation)
- BYU Computer Science; prior Google experience

## Good Fits

- Utah enterprise SaaS founders seeking operator mentorship or investor intros
- BYU alumni building in the collaboration or productivity space
- Journalists and researchers covering Silicon Slopes or Utah's SaaS ecosystem

## Public Connection Path

LinkedIn; Lucid Software official channels; BYU alumni networks; Silicon Slopes community events.

## Evidence

- [Profile: Karl Sun — Lucid Software](karl-sun-lucid-bio.md)
- [Lucid Software](lucid-software.md) — company he co-founded and leads

## See Also

- [Lucid Software](lucid-software.md) — venture page
- [Josh James](josh-james.md) — Domo co-founder; another example of Utah enterprise SaaS at scale

## Open Questions

- What is Sun's current take on the competitive landscape (Miro, FigJam, Microsoft Visio) and Lucid's long-term positioning?
- Has Lucid updated its valuation or pursued an IPO path since the 2021 Series E?
- Dave Grow has been referenced in legacy notes alongside Sun — what are the current executive team roles?
- The placeholder hero should be replaced with a cleared headshot or event photo when rights are confirmed.