America Builds

Don Burnette is the founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics, which builds advanced autonomous technology for long-haul trucking.

Rosa Hathaway is an aerospace engineer and investor at Atento Capital.

Ian Cinnamon is the founder and CEO of Apex, a spacecraft manufacturing company based in Los Angeles.

Thank you for tuning in for Season 1 of the America Builds Podcast (now the Launch Pad Podcast). We have exciting plans for Season 2, coming soon. In the meantime, please enjoy some highlights from this season.

Sam Gray is the Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Defense Group, a nonprofit dedicated to fostering connections among people, technology, and capital to secure the US and its allies' technological edge. Sam is a retired Naval Officer, and as a fighter pilot, he deployed 7 times in the Pacific and Middle East. Sam co-founded NavalX, the Navy and Marine Corps innovation office, where he spearheaded its growth from a single office to 15 across the US and UK. His prior roles include managing aerospace procurement for the Under Secretary of Defense, strategic planning focused on China at Pacific Command, and serving as the commanding officer of an F/A-18 squadron based in Japan. Sam has a degree in history from The Ohio State University and a Master's in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College.

Michael Palank has been General Partner at MaC Venture Capital since its inception in January 2019. Michael focuses on seed-stage consumer and enterprise startup investing across a number of sectors, including aerospace.

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 used technology to deliver critical supplies to complex geographies, and during his time at McKinsey, he drove transformation within the energy and public sectors. Ben's passion also extends to podcasting, where he hosts "Texas Rising," exploring the growth within the Lone Star State, and the prior show "A Random Walk with Ben Kohlmann."

Lior Susan, Founder and Managing Partner at Eclipse Ventures, discusses topics such as semiconductor manufacturing in the US, his military service in Israel, the importance of a digital transformation in physical industries, diligencing a blue collar market, and the value of customer empathy in disrupted industries.

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.