My career from scientist/engineer to cofounder/CEO and now investor, stems from a key realization along my path: technology has the greatest positive impact on society when it impacts many, best realized at scale, only possible in the marketplace.
My path has wandered in so many wonderful and unpredictable ways that. I no longer pretend to know where I will go on the micro and specific, rather I focus on the macro and thematic, optimizing for experiential learning that lets me live at the intersection of technology and business. This juxtaposition of being intentional yet flexible has unlocked a wide berth of experience for which I am grateful. I deeply value community, network, and the invisible strings that guide us to fulfilling work which I currently embody by leading the Boulder Seed Fund for Drive Capital
I am a collector of experiences that provide me with growth. I was the cofounder and CEO of Artimus Robotics, a venture-backed, University of Colorado, Boulder spin-out, which I led for 5 years and continues to operate to this day. I also get joy out of more niche business endeavors such as Snow Visa, a consumer product to improve avalanche safety of backcountry snow sports (this venture also led me to Drive – ask me about it sometime!). And on the personal side, I love creating content creation for my personal YouTube channel.
Before I found my way to entrepreneurship, I focused on research and academia, having earned a B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University, and an M.S and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science track from the University of Colorado Boulder. I spent time at various National Laboratories and have direct technical experiences spanning ballistic armor to ocean wave energy. I attribute my ability to bridge technology and business in part to my many years of teaching experiences, some of which have allowed me to live abroad for extended periods in the mountains of Chamonix, France, and rural Thailand.
I have been a resident of Boulder Colorado for over a decade, and a participant and now pillar of the startup ecosystem for much of that time. I am a lead organizer for Boulder Startup Week and I support startups both privately and with CU-Boulder’s Venture Partners during my recent career sabbatical. Even before joining Drive, it was rare that a week would go by that you wouldn’t find me grabbing coffee (at Ozo, of course) with an aspiring entrepreneur after a 6 AM CrossFit class and supporting however I can.
The Boulder Thesis remains as strong as ever, and I am honored to be a part of its next chapter. Now partnered with Drive Capital is truly empowering for both me and the startups I work with, as Drive brings an incredible amount of fuel needed to build the next market-defining companies, here in Colorado and beyond.
No idea is too early. Please reach out to me so we can find your unique path to building a great company and positively impacting society in your own, unique way.
