Episode 11: The Innovators -- Trae Stephens

Michael Brown, director of the Defense Innovation Unit, explains how DIU is bridging the gap between government and the private sector to help speed the development of innovative solutions to national security challenges.  

Matt Johnson, CEO of the quantum computing company QC Ware, on how to know if you're building something customers will buy or use, and why having the right team of superstars is critical to building a successful venture.

Dara Treseder, chief marketing officer at Carbon; and William Treseder, senior vice president of product at BMNT, discuss what it takes to be a successful mission-driven entrepreneur, and how they manage demanding careers and family life with two young children.

Teresa Smetzer, director of national security programs for Salesforce and a longtime business strategist and investor who has worked to modernize and transform innovation in the public and private sectors, discusses what it takes to be a successful change-maker inside an established organization. 

Jay Rogers, co-founder and CEO at LM Industries, has revolutionized how cars are made. Here he talks about what it takes to drive innovation. 

The biggest challenges Air Force veteran Melanie Stricklan faces as co-founder and CTO of Slingshot Aerospace aren't about to the technology her company uses to help make sense of immense amounts of data in real time. Instead they are related to building a culture that inspires her team of mission-driven entrepreneurs in their quest to make the world safer. In this episode, Melanie discusses why having a dynamic founding team and the help of mentors have been key in helping her navigate the transition from military service to startup founder.

Ian Cinnamon, president and co-founder of Synapse Technology, discusses how artificial intelligence is being used to make the world a safer place. 

Col. John Cogbill, chief of staff of the Joint Special Operations Command, discusses how to leverage Silicon Valley's "secret sauce" to encourage the MacGyvers in your ranks.

In this episode of The Innovators, Jake Bullock, founder and CEO of Ravn, talks about his journey from Navy SEAL to mission-driven entrepreneur; explains how he's trying to change the paradigm on the battlefield and why he had to learn to be a better storyteller to do it; shares how he built a world-class team and secured funding; and describes what it's like to transition from building a product to building a company. 

On this episode of The Innovators, Trae Stephens, partner at Founders Fund, shares what VCs are looking for when they invest and offers tips for what founders can do to stand out as they try to get funded.