I'm a builder, operator, and connector. What I love most: finding great builders, supporting the operations that turn early-stage chaos into sustainable growth, and connecting them to the people and capital they need. These days, my focus is defense. Previously, I was COO at Kard (built the cardholder network to 45M+; hired and managed initial teams across finance, HR, marketing, product, engineering, compliance, and account management) and Head of Operations at Upwave (employee #8, scaling from seed through Series B).
I studied computer science and Russian at Duke, where I stay involved as a mentor and volunteer (currently serving as the NW FL chair for admissions). After growing up in North Carolina then living in both San Francisco and New York City, I currently call Florida home.
- Investing & Advising — Working with early-stage founders building American strength in the areas I love: defense, aerospace, and operational infrastructure (with soft spots for two-sided marketplaces, security, and fintech)
- VP of Product & Partnerships at SBCC — Building the tech and relationships that bring innovation to the warfighter faster
Tactical startup advice:
EOY Checklist · Employee Appreciation Done Well · Setting an Operational Cadence · Evaluating Startup Offers · Avoiding Delegation Downfalls · Creating Company Culture · Writing a User Guide
Other life thoughts:
Rebranding Oneself · Permanent Packing List · Life Needs More Dinner Parties · Adam Lawrence: The Playbook Guy · Times I Tried Too Hard · Patrick Comer: Louisiana's First Unicorn · Scott Gorlick: Uber Employee #99
Recommendations:
Your Life is Driven by Network Effects · How to Avoid Half-Heartedness · The Trap of Ambitious Goals · The Fountainhead · Good to Great · Penelope Trunk · The Untethered Soul · The Update, The Vent, and The Disaster · The Small Group · Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide · Gary Poster · The Courage to Be Disliked · Wes Kao
I live on the Emerald Coast and can be found flying, diving, playing tennis, lifting heavy, and fan-girling fighter jets. If you're visiting the area and like those things too, reach out.