Crossing the Valley

About Jason BrownAfter serving 26 years in the Air Force, where he commanded the 480th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Jason became deeply involved in defense innovation initiatives. He founded the Air Force AI Accelerator at MIT and helped stand up the Joint AI Center before transitioning to the private sector.Prior to joining Applied Intuition as General Manager of their defense business, Jason led Google's professional services business for defense—a notable position given Google's complicated history with defense technology following the Project Maven controversy. Throughout his career, Jason has consistently focused on bringing software and data capabilities to the warfighter, driven by early experiences watching his airmen create innovative Python scripts to solve intelligence challenges.About Applied IntuitionFounded in 2017, Applied Intuition has become a market leader in autonomy software. While initially focused on the commercial automotive sector, providing software tools to major OEMs developing autonomous vehicles, the company has expanded into defense applications across multiple domains. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

Rylan Hamilton and Austin Gray, co-founders of Blue Water Autonomy, dive into the exciting world of autonomous ships tailored for the U.S. Navy. With Hamilton's extensive military experience and Gray's dual degree from HBS and MIT, they share their vision of merging technology and defense. Topics include their groundbreaking approach of building vessels that require minimal human maintenance, challenges in aligning tech with military needs, and lessons learned from a summer spent in Ukraine's defense tech landscape. Get ready for a naval innovation revolution!

About Merlin LabsFounded to develop autonomous flight technology for existing aircraft, Merlin Labs is taking a fundamentally different approach to the challenge than many competitors. While most autonomous systems try to augment human pilots, creating a potentially dangerous shared control situation, Merlin's system operates as the primary pilot with human supervision. The "Merlin Pilot" is responsible for flying the aircraft, communicating with air traffic control, and making operational decisions, with a human supervisor available to take control if necessary..Merlin's strategy involves dual certification paths, working with both military and civilian regulators to certify their core autonomous pilot system. Once certified, this core capability can be adapted to specific aircraft with only incremental certification work required. This approach has recently yielded a significant milestone: the first approved airworthiness plan for integrating autonomy onto a mainline Air Force aircraft.Check out the show notes at ValleyCrossers.ComFor more on Merlin: https://merlinlabs.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

Jesse Kallman, Founder and CEO of Danti, is revolutionizing how we access Earth observation data. With an impressive background in defense and space, he discusses the challenges of transitioning from a proof of concept to securing vital government contracts. Jesse highlights the role of AI in simplifying vast information for informed decision-making. He also delves into the importance of partnerships in the unmanned systems landscape and shares insights on launching a public sector venture while navigating customer relationships and scaling innovations.

About PhillipPhillip Buckendorf is the co-founder and CEO of Air Space Intelligence, bringing a unique perspective shaped by his education in political science and international relations in Germany. Frustrated by what he describes as Europe’s "degrowth mindset,” Phillip moved to the United States in his early 20s, seeking out the hotbed of innovation and technological progress.About Air Space IntelligenceFounded after extensive research into air operations centers across commercial airlines, government agencies, and maritime organizations, ASI develops predictive software that transforms how logistics planning occurs in both commercial and defense contexts. The company's core innovation is shifting from static displays showing current conditions to dynamic simulations that predict how operational environments will change over time.For more on Air Space Intelligence: https://www.airspace-intelligence.com/For the Air Space Manifesto: https://www.airspace-intelligence.com/thesisFor more on Phillip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillipbuckendorf/For more Crossing the Valley: LinkedIn | X This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

As Apex Space commemorates one year on orbit for its Aries satellite, CEO and co-founder Ian Cinnamon joins us to talk about all things space.A serial entrepreneur, Ian's journey began right after college when he worked as a technology advisor to Mark Pincus at Zynga, later starting a gaming company that was acquired by Zynga. He went on to found Synapse Technology (acquired by Palantir), invest at Village Global, and then co-found Apex Space with Max Benassi, a veteran of SpaceX who had worked on both the Falcon 9 and Starlink programs.Founded in 2022, Apex Space is the world's first manufacturer of productized, configurable satellite bus platforms. Unlike traditional aerospace companies that custom-build each satellite bus for specific missions, Apex has standardized the design and manufacturing process to create what is essentially an off-the-shelf product.For more on Ian: @IanCinnamon on X, LinkedInFor more on Apex: @ApexSpacecraft on X, LinkedInFor more Crossing the Valley: @NSheinbaum on X, LinkedIn This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

About PeterPeter is the Chief Product Officer of Maxar Intelligence, bringing his passion for maps and 12 years at Palantir Technologies to this renaissance story. At Palantir, Peter developed the famed “ontology” and mapping technologies, helping transition the company's defense business from intelligence operations to real-time operational support. His background in theoretical chemistry gives him a distinctive lens through which he approaches the relationship between models and reality—a tension at the heart of both cartography and defense technology.About Maxar IntelligenceMaxar Intelligence began as DigitalGlobe, a pioneering Earth observation company. In 2017, Digital Globe was acquired by MDA, which was renamed Maxar. The company underwent significant transformations—being sold in 2019, taken private in 2022, and split into two business units (Maxar Intelligence and Maxar Space) in 2023.Maxar's bread and butter is high-resolution satellite imagery, specifically 30-centimeter class resolution data. This exquisite imagery serves as a foundation for more sophisticated data products. The company's Legion satellites represent their newest generation of sensing technology.But beyond imagery collection, Maxar has invested heavily in creating deep integrations with classified government systems—expertise they're now leveraging to create partnership frameworks for smaller, newer space companies. For example, their Direct Access Program allows international customers to install radio antennas and directly task satellites locally, embodying the shift from centralized to distributed space architecture.For more about Maxar: https://www.maxar.comFor more on Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterwilczynski/For more Crossing the Valley: www.valleycrossers.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

About JoshJosh Lospinoso isn’t your average hacker. Most hackers aren’t Rhodes Scholars. As a kid growing up in New Jersey during 9/11, Josh was drawn to service - but he had no idea he’d soon be hacking military weapon systems. As an Army Cyber Officer, he discovered critical vulnerabilities in mission essential platforms that revealed a sobering reality: these sophisticated weapons systems (flying computers!) were dangerously vulnerable to cyber threats. So after spending years building cyber tools at the National Security Agency, he founded (and exited) his first startup, a cybersecurity outfit called Red Owl Analytics. And then, he dove into an even bigger challenge, head-on. His background - Rhodes Scholar, PhD in Statistics, veteran - gave him unique credibility with both the defense establishment and the venture community. And today, he’s at the forefront of one of the most important missions: securing our operational technology systems.For more Crossing the Valley: www.valleycrossers.comFor more on Shift5: https://shift5.io/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jalospinoso/Follow Noah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahsheinbaum/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

About Our GuestsWhen Thomas "T-Rob" Robinson joined Domino Data Lab eight and a half years ago, the company was focused on helping pharmaceutical companies and financial institutions build better AI models. With a background in math, computer science, and enterprise finance technology, he understood that the hardest problems in AI weren't about algorithms - they were about enabling domain experts to build trustworthy systems at scale. Meanwhile, Joel Meyer was at the Department of Homeland Security, leading their first AI task force and grappling with fundamental questions about how government could effectively adopt AI technology. Joel, like a number of government-to-startup guests before him, recognized a vendor that held the potential to address the very problems he was working from the inside. Today, T-Rob and Joel are working toward the shared vision of bringing enterprise-grade MLOps to critical national security missions.For more about Domino: domino.aiFor more about T-Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomassrobinson/For more about Joel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeltmeyer/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

Shannon Clark, an early team member of Palantir and a leader in innovation efforts, uncovers the secrets behind the company's meteoric rise in the defense tech sector. She shares how a flat organizational structure promotes collaboration and communication among teams. Clark discusses the game-changing Project Maven, which leverages AI for military applications, and emphasizes the importance of user feedback in product development. Reflecting on her journey, she highlights the challenges of being a woman in tech while forging meaningful connections in her career.