Rob Huberty, former Navy SEAL and Co-Founder & COO of ZeroEyes. Rob shares how his proximity to previous shooting tragedies and military experience led him and his co-founders to create an AI-powered solution that's revolutionizing gun detection and prevention.
Meet Richard Tame, a seasoned finance executive who is now serving as the CFO of Coeus Institute, an AI data driven analysis company. His journey across various industries and renowned corporations, from British Airways to tech giants like Amazon, Meta, and Lyft, has been marked by a wealth of diverse experiences. With a standout tenure as CFO at Aurora, the groundbreaking autonomous vehicle startup, Richard navigated the complexities of a rapidly expanding enterprise, orchestrating successful capital raises and forging strategic alliances that propelled Aurora to success in the fiercely competitive realm of self-driving cars. During our conversation, Richard shares insights into his unique experience in raising capital, particularly with Aurora's journey from the Series B stage to its public listing via a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC). He offers invaluable advice for navigating the complexities of high-growth startups, from charting a course for success to achieving a balance between career and personal life pursuits.
Jackson Moses is a successful serial entrepreneur and early defense tech investor. He currently serves as the Founder and Managing Partner of Silent Ventures, an early stage venture firm investing in aerospace, defense, and national security startups including Anduril, Castelion, Chaos, Hadrian, and Saronic. Prior to launching Silent Ventures, Jackson founded MainStreet and Spectrum Labs, later acquired by ActiveFence. Between both startups, he raised over $120M, employed hundreds, and generated $30M+ in ARR. In this interview, Jackson shares invaluable insights gained from his experiences as a serial entrepreneur and early-stage investor. From navigating the complexities of the defense tech sector to advising startups and venture firms on investment strategies, Jackson offers practical advice and actionable takeaways for aspiring entrepreneurs and seasoned investors alike.
Dr. Seth Lederman, CEO and Chairman of Tonix Pharmaceuticals, shares insights into his journey from medical practice to pharmaceutical entrepreneurship. From his early days combating the AIDS epidemic to specializing in rheumatology and fibromyalgia research, Dr. Lederman discusses the lessons learned from founding and leading Tonix Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Lederman offers valuable insights into the dynamics of drug development and commercialization. He also shares his perspective as a seasoned CEO, providing actionable advice on effective leadership and fostering a culture of innovation within the company. With the impending launch of Tanmaya, Tonix's pioneering product for fibromyalgia management, Dr. Lederman highlights the company's mission to address unmet medical needs and enhance patient well-being.
Jeff Hart is a partner at AE Industrial Partners, a Private Equity firm with over $6 Billion in AUM that has invested in some of the most exciting aerospace, security, and industrial companies across the country including Firefly Aerospace, Sierra Space, and York Space Systems. Jeff has spearheaded the Aerospace & Defense sector within the firm with his partner Bryan McElwee and has taken multiple companies public including Redwire and BigBear.ai where he remains on the board of directors.
Justus Kilian, Managing Partner at Space Capital, discusses how to create a culture of excellence, why Elon Musk interviewed the first 1,000 hires at Tesla, and how to find your dream mentor. Space Capital is a venture firm at the forefront of the Tech-Space intersection, boasting a robust portfolio with over $100 million in assets under management. With a steadfast commitment to innovation, Space Capital has joined forces with visionary founders and made strategic investments in breakout companies like Rocket Lab and SpaceX.
Meagan Murphy Crawford, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of SpaceFund, which has invested in over 20 Aerospace companies including SpaceX, Axiom Space, and Voyager Space. Meagan also co-founded the world’s longest running space business plan competition, and has taught, coached, and advised hundreds of space startups through their earliest stages – including some of the most successful aerospace companies around today. --Topics Covered -- Trailblazing Her Own Path In Venture Capital In Space (0:00) Meagan M. Crawford's journey from a personal financial planner at Primerica to her role in space-related industries (02:07) Meagan's perspective on evaluating business plans and what stood out in successful pitches (14:13) Setting the company up for success (21:40) How to manage being on eight boards and how to effectively run them (23:49) Maximizing the value in board meetings (26:53) Meagan's reflections on mistakes made in her career and how she overcame them (29:31) The importance of asking “Why Not?” (30:47) The impact of educators and counselors on her career (32:49) Founders' Common Mistakes (34:13) Finding the balance of being a mom and a partner (37:50) Managing the dark days as an entrepreneur (44:20) One piece of advice that Meagan received (45:38) Meagan's favorite book (48:09) The number one piece of advice for founders (56:52)
Andrea Hippeau is a Partner at Lerer Hippeau, an early-stage venture capital fund that has invested in some of the most forward thinking brands - Warby Parker, Allbirds, Cotopaxi, Casper, and Thrive. Andrea shares what traits all the best founders have, what her investor matrix is, how she uses her network, how founders should leverage their investors, and what her number one focus would be if she was starting all over again in venture capital.
Hadi Chaudhry is the CEO & President at CareCloud, a publicly traded healthcare technology company. Hadi was an early employee at CareCloud where he rose the ranks helping take the company public and eventually becoming CEO. He has over 20 years of experience in the industry, and has been at the forefront of driving innovation and efficiency in healthcare management.
Matthew Price, COO of Promontory Therapeutics is an experienced biotech entrepreneur / C-level executive, and the only company co-founder named a 2022 Emerging Pharma Leader by Pharmaceutical Executive. He is responsible for industry collaborations with Pfizer and Merck KGaA, and for Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the National Cancer Institute. He previously held research and managerial roles in the NGO and non-profit sectors working in the US and Germany. He holds an AB from Princeton University, and earned his MBA from Columbia Business School, where he was a Chazen Society Fellow in International Business.
Shannon Erley, Founder & CEO of Pomp a groundbreaking platform connecting estheticians with their clients through technology in the beauty industry. She shares her journey from frustration with the crowded beauty market to building a resilient company that attracted major investors, including the Zuckerberg family when it seemed like they were at the end of their rope.
Erik Mitisek, Co-Founder & President of Highwing, the first open data platform for commercial insurance. Highwing spun out of IMA Financial Group with a $4M seed round led by BRP Group and BrokerTech Ventures. Erik has over 2+ decades of operating as a c-suite executive, and founder of numerous companies. Erik was the Co-Founder of The Commons on Champa & Denver Startup Week, Chief Innovation Officer for the Governor John Hickenlooper, and CEO of the Colorado Technology Association.
Joanna Arras joined Baird Capital in 2014, a venture capital investor focused on early- and expansion-stage companies that leverage technology to solve business problems or just make life easier. She is also currently a board member of ChurnZero, Circonus, FullContact, and SourceDay and was previously a board member of Appcast, Startwire, and Autobooks. She has also previously served as a board observer of HouseCall Pro, Hireology, NowSecure, Datica, and Sittercity. Before joining Baird Capital, Joanna worked as an Associate in Baird's Investment Banking and Business Development departments, focusing on strategic investments and initiatives. Additionally, she previously served as an Equity Research Analyst at Baird, specializing in semiconductor companies. Joanna earned a B.S. in management and international business from Indiana University and holds an MBA from The University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School with majors in finance and entrepreneurship.
Jennifer Henderson is the Founder and CEO of Tilt, a venture-backed SaaS platform that redefines the employee leave experience. Based on her own experience of leave being a career killer, Jennifer decided to change that narrative and create a platform that allows employees to take the necessary time when life happens. Prior to founding Tilt, Jennifer was the Director of Operations at Noodles & Company and is a Board Member for CSU’s College of Business, Institute for Entrepreneurship. This interview is in partnership with Colorado Venture Summit.
Robert Jacks has 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has founded or co-founded multiple companies and raised more than $170 million with several successful exits. He is now the President & CEO of Sparrow Pharmaceuticals which is developing targeted therapies for serious disorders of steroid excess and raised a $50M Series A in 2021.
Dr. Marcelo Bigal, President and CEO of Ventus Therapeutics, a company that expects to become the leader in the field of using precision medicine to identify subsets of patients with severe chronic neurological conditions. Prior to Ventus, Dr. Marcelo held multiple positions in the industry, including CSO at Teva, leading a group of over 1,300 people, as well as CMO of Purdue. Prior to Teva, he was also the CMO at Labrys Biologics, Inc., leading the team responsible for the development of Fremanezumab (approved as Ajovy), a humanized monoclonal antibody against CGRP, an anti-migraine and pain target. He has published over 322 peer-reviewed articles in indexed journals, edited six books, and authored / co-authored 35 book chapters in the field of neurology.
Monica Palko, Chief Legal & Administrative Officer of York Space Systems. She discusses how leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach, how to advance in an organization, and what trait surprised her the most in a great founder. York Space Systems, who design and manufacture space systems, is one of the fastest growing aerospace companies in the country. They were awarded a $382 Million dollar contract with the Department of Defense's Space Development Agency to manufacture satellites and recently received a significant investment from AEI to continue their impressive growth. Prior to York Space, Monica was the VP & General Counsel of Lockheed Martin Space and is a Director of the Global Board of the Association of Corporate Counsel which is a 45,000-member global bar association that promotes the common professional and business interests of in-house counsel.
Kelly Hennig, Chief Operating Officer of Stoke Space, one of the fastest growing aerospace companies developing reusable rockets to provide the satellite industry with low-cost, on-demand access to and from any orbit. Stoke’s investors include NFX, MaC Ventures, YC, Seven Seven Six Ventures, and several others. Prior to Stoke Space, she was an Engineering Executive at Raytheon Technologies for two years and the Chief Engineer at Advanced Concepts & Technology for Northrop Grumman for eighteen years and has also been the Electronics Division Chair at the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). Kelly has an MS in Electrical Engineering/Electromagnetics/Optics from the University of Michigan and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University.
Molly Harper, Chief Business Officer of Synlogic, a biotechnology company that went public in 2021 through a reverse merger with Mirna Therapeutics raising an additional $40M after $100M in venture capital funding. Molly is also a member of the Board of Directors for Catalyst Pharmaceuticals and PreciseDX. Molly attended Wharton for her MBA, Healthcare Management, and Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.
Vlad Vitoc is the Founder & CEO of MAIA, an immune-oncology company, focused on the development of first-in-class drugs with novel mechanisms of action that are intended to meaningfully improve and extend the lives of people with cancer. Vlad and his team took MAIA public successfully in 2022 in one of the most difficult IPO markets in recent years.