Hagan Walker is co-founder and CEO of The Glo Companies, a Starkville-based company that began as a classroom project at Mississippi State University. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from MSU's Bagley College of Engineering in December 2015, Walker turned down an offer from Tesla Motors to pursue Glo full-time alongside co-founder and chief creative officer Anna Barker.
Walker holds two patents for liquid-activated LED technology, which powers Glo Pals light-up sensory toys for children and has pending patents for the newly-released Light-Up Library collection of interactive children’s books. Since 2016, the company has sold over 10 million products to customers in more than 60 countries through major retailers including Walmart, Target, Nordstrom, and Macy's. The company recently secured a licensing partnership with Sesame Street for three Elmo Light-Up Library books launching in 2026.
Under Walker's leadership, The Glo Companies employs 34 people while maintaining profitability and Mississippi-based operations. The company earned recognition as Fast Company's #2 Best Workplace for Innovators in 2025 and ranked #282 on the Financial Times list of the Fastest-Growing Companies in the Americas. Walker was named to the Mississippi Business Journal's Top 40 Under 40 in 2025 and recognized as one of Mississippi's Top Entrepreneurs in 2018.
Walker serves as Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, is a member of the Goldman Sachs Small Business National Advisory Committee, and is past-president of Starkville’s Main Street Association. He and his team demonstrated their commitment to Starkville by working with local community members to transform the historic Rex Theater into The Glo Companies' headquarters through a $1.4 million renovation in 2021.
Walker is married to Clara, a Columbus native, who owns and operates her own chiropractic practice. A licensed private pilot, Walker has skydived multiple times and has three dogs, Anna Pumpkin, Canelo, and Otis.
