Some things about me

Background

I'm an builder based in Colorado. I've started a handful of companies. I did really well at one. I am about to do really well at a few more. I screwed up plenty. I have a few simmering currently. I kind of like the screw ups, because you learn so much from them. I'm curious to a fault, and addicted to exploring new ideas.

Education

With a natural aptitude for mathematics and financial interests, I gravitated toward economics. This introduced me to statistics, modeling, management science, and accounting - areas that would shape my career path. The quantitative aspects of econometrics and systems dynamics provided an ideal playground for equation modeling and simulation analysis. Management science transformed my view of history, making it engaging and relevant. My academic journey sparked a lifelong love of reading, beginning in my sophomore year. Though I initially collected books, their growing volume eventually made this impractical.

Career

After college, my carefully laid plans for a data modeling career were upended by corporate layoffs. Armed with ambition and a newspaper's help-wanted section, I dove into restaurant management, envisioning building a franchise empire. Life had other plans - a facial injury and seasonal market challenges prompted a pivot to economics. But in the dial-up era, nine-hour downloads of economic reports left me seeking something different. Curiosity led me to a modest start as an office assistant at a tech company. There, I discovered RF (Radio Frequency) and found my calling in Satellite Communications, advancing from receptionist to chief engineer and sales leader. Eventually, I founded my own company, succeeding largely through the talent of the exceptional team I assembled.

Current Situation

I split my time between two activities: building as a software engineer and investing through actively managed private absolute return funds. These aren't separate pursuits but rather two expressions of the same drive to understand and create value. I spend more time in front of a computer than anyone I know.

Building and investing aren't career choices for me - they're fundamental to how I live and think. Driven by a deep conviction that companies are the most powerful force for positive change in our world, I'm constantly engaged in both creating and analyzing them. As an active investor, I track hundreds of public companies, developing frameworks to identify what separates exceptional businesses from the rest. This isn't work I'll ever retire from; it's simply who I am.

Being a software engineer is my way of staying deliberately current with emerging technologies. My formative experience came in wireless communications, specifically satellite communications (SATCOMs) systems. It was here that I discovered the irreplaceable value of hands-on engineering - the ability to distinguish real innovation from hype through direct experience. When I applied this ground-level technical understanding to investing, the results were mindblowing. Currently, I'm deep in the technical weeds of AI and Web3, building and experimenting to grasp their real-world potential beyond the hype. There's no separation between work and passion here - it's all part of my continuous drive to understand and build.

This integration of practical engineering experience and business analysis gives me a unique lens on how companies succeed and fail. As an innovation historian, I study organizational cultures, business models, and technological transformations with the same hands-on intensity I bring to engineering. I've been at this long enough to have witnessed complete cycles of innovation play out - from initial hype, through real breakthrough, to mature technology. This historical perspective, combined with deep technical understanding, helps me recognize authentic innovation when I see it and separate enduring value from temporary excitement.