America Builds

As an early-stage defense and energy investor, Ben supports courageous founders tackling substantial problems. Formerly a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot, Ben founded the Chief of Naval Operations Rapid Innovation Cell. His entrepreneurial spirit also led him to co-found the non-profit Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, which now boasts over 2,500 members. As the CEO of a startup called Farcast, he...

Lior Susan, the Founder and Managing Partner of Eclipse Ventures, has dedicated his career to rearchitecting industries crucial to our lives and economies. Growing up on a kibbutz and serving in the Israeli Special Forces, Lior is an unlikely venture capitalist. From building Intucell, which was acquired by Cisco, to leading Flex's hardware investment platform, his diverse background has shap...

In this episode, we talk with Will Gray, a Tulsa-born tennis enthusiast who combined his love for the sport with a keen business acumen to build a thriving career. From his early days on the tennis courts to his academic pursuits at the University of Tulsa, and his subsequent career in venture capital, Will's story is one of ambition, hard work, and community involvement.

Jake Leventhal is currently the CTO of Rip Technologies. Previously, he worked at SpaceX for 4 years, and founded his own ecommerce company. Jake has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California.

Michael Moreno's background in deep tech startups and national security makes him the perfect person for a conversation about global security and resilience. Mike has over a decade of service with the US government in roles within the CIA, DOD, and Department of State. Currently, he works on Space and National Security on the Worldwide Public Sector VC and Startups team and AWS. He's als...

Alex is a Managing Partner at J2 Ventures. His diverse career has seen him build the enterprise venture investing arm at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, serve as a Military Intelligence Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, and contribute to national security through his work at the Defense Innovation Unit and AFWERX. As a reservist he managed the DIU's investment efforts in deep tech through its...

Kristen Hajduk is an expert in national security and defense policies, currently helping tech companies work with the DOD and IC. Her illustrious career spans across critical roles in the DOD, Special Operations Command, and the National Security Innovation Network. She also co-founded No Exceptions, an initiative instrumental in opening all military positions to women who meet the standard.

Armando Torres is a small business leader in the steel fabrication and manufacturing industry, working as a Custom Fabrication and Metal Tech Manager in North Carolina. He previously served in the United States Marine Corps and received a BS from the United States Naval Academy.

Ethan Batraski is a partner at Venrock, focusing on data infrastructure, developer tools, and hard engineering problems, including space and computing.

Garrett Smith is the CEO and co-founder of Reveal , a UAV edge analytics software platform. He is also a Reconnaissance, Intelligence, and Infantry Officer in the USMC Reserve. He is a graduate of Stanford University's Ford Dorsey Program in International Policy Studies, and earned a master's degree in June 2015. His focus of study was International Security and Cooperation, with backgro...

Kyle is currently a Managing Director at Fairwater Labs, a venture studio building dual use defense tech companies. Kyle is also a former Marine Raider and Special Operations Officer with worldwide experience. Inspired by the technological challenges he faced in combat, Kyle decided to leave active duty to focus on putting America’s best technology into the hands of those that need it the most. He...

James Clapper is an esteemed veteran in the intelligence community, with over five decades of service under his belt. He served as the United States Director of National Intelligence under the Obama administration, a position that made him the principal advisor to the President on intelligence matters relating to national security. Clapper has held several other key positions within the U.S. intel...

Ashley is currently the Vice President of Business Operations at Merlin Labs. Ashley served as an FA-18 naval aviator in the U.S. Navy for over a decade. Ashley has an MBA from MIT, and graduated from the United States Naval Academy, where she earned a B.S. in International Relations and was the basketball team captain.

Get to know our hosts and the story behind the America Builds Podcast.

Introduction to the America Builds Podcast.