Executive Team
MICHAEL FREDERICK MARCOTTE
Founder & CEO
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Michael Marcotte has served as the CEO of numerous companies and corporate boards from startups and fast growth pre-IPO companies to publicly traded companies. He is a proven leader with extraordinary expertise combining polymathic breadth and depth.
He is the former Global Chief Information Officer, Chief Digital Officer, and President (Hughes Cloud Services) of the global EchoStar/EchoStar International/Dish Network/Hughes/SlingTV, etc. family of companies. He was one of the very first people ever, to serve as a Chief Digital Officer for a major global corporation.
He has served as a corporate officer with 7 major corporations. He has M&A experience in billions of dollars of revenue and valuation. He is a partner at New Republic Studios.
Marcotte is a co-founder of the public/private National Cyber Security Center (NCC) and was the founder and Chairman of the NCC’s Rapid Response Center (NCC/RRC) largely absorbed by CIA.
He is a former board member of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT). He has been a senior advisor for several state Governors and United State Senators, on both sides of the aisle.
He was a recipient of The Business Journals Forty Under 40 award. He is a two-time winner of the NASA award for engineering excellence and United States Air Force Award of Engineering Excellence. He has a keen interest in CPG and serves on the board of several CPG food companies and LSI nutraceuticals.
In his spare time, he enjoys health-related service work, flying aerobatic aircraft, and data driven longevity research. Michael also has formal legal and medical training. Michael is highly considered one of the best High G force pilots in the world. He was the solo pilot for the Amazon flight performance team, and the backup lead pilot (#7). He has flown with the US Navy, Blue Angels and USAF Thunderbirds.
SALMAN AL BAHRI
General Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Salman Al Bahri is an accomplished professional with a diverse background spanning over a decade in both public service and the finance sector. He began his career as a First Lieutenant with the Ministry of Interior in Bahrain, where he dedicated many years to serving his country and honing his leadership skills.
Transitioning from public service to finance, Salman held senior positions at various prestigious financial and investment institutions. Notably, he contributed to Rain Management, a leading player in Bahrain's cryptocurrency landscape, where he navigated the complexities of digital finance.
Salman's expertise further expanded during his tenure as a consultant at American Express, where he was responsible for managing the prestigious Centurion Black Card members throughout the Middle East, leveraging Bahrain's strategic location as the headquarters.
His career took a significant leap when he became a Director at Blacksand, a prominent real estate investment company in the UK, where he played a crucial role in driving investment strategies and growth initiatives.
Currently, Salman is the founder of Elite Concept, a lifestyle and wealth management company dedicated to providing tailored services that enhance the lives of its clients. His extensive background in finance and investment, combined with his commitment to excellence, positions Elite Concept as a leader in the industry.
LT. GENERAL EDWARD CARDON (Ret.)
General Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Lieutenant General Edward C. Cardon was born in Texas, raised in California and was commissioned as an Engineer Officer from the United States Military Academy in 1982.
LTG Cardon has commanded at every level from company through Army Service Component Command. Some of his assignments include Observer/Controller at the National Training Center; Strategist to the Army Chief of Staff; Commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3d Infantry Division; Deputy Commandant, US Army Command and General Staff College; Deputy Commanding General (Support), United States Forces -- Iraq; Commanding General, 2d Infantry Division, Republic of Korea; and Commanding General, US Army Cyber Command and 2d Army.
LTG Cardon has deployed in support of IFOR/SFOR Bosnia-Herzegovina and on four separate occasions in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM.
His education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy and two Masters Degrees - one from the National War College and the other from the United States Naval Command and Staff College, both in National Security and Strategic Studies.
Lieutenant General Cardon is married and has three children.
LT. GENERAL ROSS COFFMAN (Ret.)
General Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Ross Coffman is the founder of Coffman and Associates LLC, a consulting and advisory firm. The firm specializes in strategic and operational planning to improve management skills, change culture, enhance business operations, and drive organizational productivity. The firm has proven success in the government, corporate, academic, and non-profit sectors.
Ross serves as the President of Forward Edge AI, a Board member of The Federal Savings Bank, and as a member of the Board of Advisors for multiple successful companies. He is also a member of the Washington Speaker Bureau and a Senior Advisor for Ernst and Young.
General Coffman retired from the United States Army with over 35 years of distinguished military service as an Armor officer. He commanded units in nearly every echelon and served in multiple deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Europe, Bosnia, and Haiti. General Coffman also served in the generating force training large units for combat. In his final assignment in the military, General Coffman served as the Deputy Commander of United States Army’s Futures Command in Austin, Texas.
General Coffman received numerous awards for his individual actions and as a member of heroic units. He is enshrined by Centre College as a Distinguished Alumnus. He is the recipient of the Harvey Leadership Award, MacArthur Leadership Award, Draper Leadership Award, Significant Sigma Chi Award, and is an Eagle Scout.
General Coffman holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Centre College, a Master’s Degree in business administration from Embry Riddle University, and a National Security Fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School.
General Coffman is from Fort Knox, Kentucky and is an enthusiastic, but terrible golfer.
MICAH FINK
Philanthropic Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Founder & CEO Horses and Heroes
Micah Fink is a family man, horse packer, Navy Seal, Ironman, woodsman and hunter. He founded Heroes and Horses, which has helped transform the lives of scores of American veterans through horseback wilderness experiences deep in Montana’s backcountry (as profiled in YETI’s film, One Eighty Out).
GUS HUNT
General Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Gus Hunt is an American cybersecurity expert, and former intelligence officer. He is the managing director and cyber strategy former lead for Accenture Federal Services.
CHET RAO
General Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Chet has 20+ years experience in consumer products and healthcare. He has experience at Fortune 200 companies and large healthcare institutions. Dr. Rao has demonstrated track record in strategic transactions, both buy and sell-side, for deal values ranging from $5-$500 MM. Dr. Rao is a seasoned executive with a proven track record in general management, innovation, and M&A.
HAGAY DANIEL RISKIN
General Partner
Executive in Residence (XIR)
Hagay is a fresh mind who continues to make a rapid ascension in the technology sector making waves as a cybersecurity and intelligence industry expert. His experience leading large-scale cybersecurity, cloud, and critical infrastructure programs across defence, finance, healthcare, and national infrastructure sectors have made long-lasting impact in the foundations of the healthcare, banking and defense sectors.
Hagay is a powerhouse innovator and IT infrastructure architect who led the deployment of Maccabi Healthcare Group’s Assuta Medical Center new hospital data center (Assuta Ashdod). While Head of Technology at Mekorot, Israel National Water Company, he launched large-scale systems including Data Lakes, IoT/SCADA, and other cyber defense platforms currently used today. Previously Head of Cloud Technologies & Cyber/Network Projects at Discount Bank and Head of Technological Development (R&D & Cloud Solutions) for the Israeli Defence Forces Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) he brings an expert eye to the industry.
Now serving as President of the Board of Directors at The Consortium Innovation Hub Ltd., his focused eye on development of emerging technologies and strategic collaboration with startups is able to further expand his vision to bring information technology solutions to a wider range of industries.
Hagay was born and raised in Tel Aviv