Lieutenant Colonel Vinny V. Pande is the System Program Manager and Deputy Director for SpaceWERX. In this role, he oversees the Space Force’s $500M annual venture investment portfolio across Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 SBIR investments. Before this, Lt Col Pande was the Branch Chief for Space Systems Command’s (SSC) Persistent Tactical Sensing branch as the Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (SRT) Branch chief. In this role, he led a 10-person team overseeing a $25M effort to bring commercial space capabilities to Combatant Commands. Previously, Lt Col Pande was the Program Manager on the CASINO program office, a collaboration with DARPA to bring proliferated LEO satellite communications to military utility. Further more, Tetra rapid-prototyping satellite program under the Development Corp, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. In this role, he leads a 15-member team overseeing a $300M system which aims to develop a new satellite vehicle baseline and launch it on an annual basis. Furthermore, Maj Pande leads the Space Vision 2030 program, a PEO initiative on sourcing innovative technologies for space architecture maturation. Lt Col Pande is also a joint-accredited Foreign Area Officer in the INDOPACOM region. In that capacity, he was the Director of Air Force Programs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. In that role, Lt Col. Pande was the head of a $17B portfolio of the U.S. government’s air & space engagements and military modernization efforts with the Indian government. His duties were directly supportive of COCOM, SECDEF, SECSTATE, and POTUS priorities in the INDOPACOM region. Lt Col Pande was the Embassy lead negotiator for the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement with India: a foundational agreement enabling sharing of NSA cryptographic tools with a foreign partner.

Prior to his overseas service, Lt Col Pande was the program manager on the SBIRS program supporting both the legacy DSP constellation, and the new HEO satellite development. Lt Col Pande also served as a Program Manager on one of the NSA’s
premiere software systems (Real-Time Regional Gateway). There, he led a team of 18 contractors & civilian project managers in identifying and incorporating intelligence requirements into the system’s capabilities. He also led a nine member source selection team for an Acquisition Category 1 program. Lt Col Pande has also served as the Executive Officer for Andrews Air Force Base’s largest Group. There he led 4 military members in supporting the requirements of the Group Commander and processing annual reports and decorations for over 600 personnel. His other assignments have included serving as the Officer-In-Charge for the lodging facility for Andrews AFB.

EDUCATION
2007 Bachelors of Arts, International Relations & Conflict Resolution, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia
2007 Air Space and Basic Course, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2014 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
2014 Masters of Business Administration, Global Business Management, American Military Univ., Charlestown, West Virginia
2016 Masters of National Security Affairs, South Asia, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California (Outstanding Air Force
Graduate)
2018 Air Command and Staff College
2025 Air War College (Correspondence)

ASSIGNMENTS

1. May 2007 – Nov 2007, Adjunct Lieutenant, University of Maryland, MD
2. Nov 2007 – July 2008, Student, Combat Systems Officer training, Randolph AFB, TX
3. July 2008 – July 2009, Lodging OIC, Andrews AFB, MD
4. July 2009 – July 2010, Executive Officer, Mission Support Group, Andrews AFB, MD
5. July 2010 – July 2011, Program Manager, Real-Time Regional Gateway, NSA Ft. Meade, MD
6. July 2011 – Aug 2012, Program Manager, Acquisition Logistics, NSA Ft. Meade, MD
7. Aug 2012 – Aug 2013, Program Manager, DSP Satellite System, Los Angeles AFB, CA
8. Aug 2013 – Apr 2014, Government Technical Product Representative, DCMA, Afghanistan
9. Apr 2014 – Mar 2015, Deputy Program Manager, HEO Satellite Production, Los Angeles AFB, CA
10. Mar 2015 – Jun 2016, Student, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
11. Sep 2016 – Sep 2019, Air Force Programs Director, US Embassy, New Delhi, India
12. Sep 2019 – Oct 2021, Program Manager, Tetra Satellite Program, Los Angeles AFB, CA
13. Oct 2021 – March 2022, Deputy Branch Chief, CASINO, Los Angeles AFB, CA
14. March 2022 – November 2023, Chief, Persistent Tactical Sensing Branch, Los Angeles AFB, CA
15. November 2023 – Current, Materiel Leader / System Program Manager, SpaceWERX Ventures, Los Angeles AFB, CA

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal (x2)
Air Force Commendation Medal (x2)
Joint Service Achievement Medal (x2)
National Defense Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant May 2007
First Lieutenant May 2009
Captain May 2011
Major Feb 2017
Lieutenant Colonel Jun 2022
(Current as of Sep 2025)

Petra Griffith launched Wedbush Ventures to foster the next generation of technology companies solving big market problems. Having helped build many firsts – the first online printing software, first fitness wearable, first native ads, first global original content – and ushered a bank into the age of technology, Petra understands the strategic and creative mindset necessary to narrow in on a product’s core features for successful market fit. Her past leadership to product, strategy, marketing, and operations teams at established and startup organizations like Netflix, Yahoo!, and 24 Hour Fitness makes Petra a coveted product strategy ally to entrepreneurs ready to scale innovation.

Because Petra lived in Los Angeles while working for Bay Area-based companies for the past 20 years, she is committed to a thriving tech ecosystem in Southern California. In her free time, you can find Petra on the slopes, pearling on waves, or enjoying dinners on the deck with her husband, three kids, dog, and two cats.

Andre C. Doumitt is the director of Emerging Programs and a founding member of the Commercial Space Futures organization at The Aerospace Corporation. In this capacity, he leads his team in identifying, evaluating, and transitioning internal research and development technology and emerging commercial technology into U.S. government space programs. Doumitt also leads Aerospace’s support to the U.S. Space Force’s SpaceWERX organization, which is responsible for the U.S. Space Force’s Small Business Innovation in Research portfolio. Prior to that, he served as a founding member of Aerospace’s Innovation Lab (iLAB), focused on stimulating creativity in space technology development through internal research, and development investments and external partnerships.

Previously, Doumitt was president and founder of Digital AdopXion LLC, a consulting company focused on transitioning early-stage air and space-based data collection technologies into new commercial and military programs. He also served as president and CEO of Geosemble Technologies, an In-Q-Tel funded start-up spun out of the Computer Science department at the University of Southern California (USC). Geosemble developed and sold technology to automatically integrate open-source text into satellite imagery and maps and was acquired in 2012.

Before that, Doumitt served at BAE Systems in a variety of executive management roles focused on fly-by-wire flight control systems, integrated GPS/navigation sensor systems, and digital map systems with U.S. and international aircraft operators. Prior to that position, Doumitt spent two years with the Italian/U.S. joint venture Bell Helicopter/Agusta Aerospace, and four years with The Boeing Company/McDonnell Douglas, developing industrial relationships with international suppliers for Boeing’s military and civilian helicopter programs.

Doumitt was also a founding member of technology start-up company Ecotech International, focused on international joint ventures and licensing agreements for defense industry customers. He also held a market research role at Frank Small & Associates, an Australian research firm based in Hong Kong; a Japanese prefectural government position in Tokyo; a consular support staff role, and a position with the U.S. Department of Commerce at the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Strategic Trade Control, both at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France.

In his free time, Doumitt has served as a mentor for the Culver City High School Robotics Club and an assistant scout master of the Boy Scouts of America Troop #50.

Education
Doumitt holds dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird). He has also completed numerous executive education and certificate programs, including Advanced Space Operations, USAF 319th Combat Training Squadron; Space Systems Integration, Orbital Mechanics and Astrodynamics, Aerospace University; CalTech Executive Education for Management of Technology and Innovation; Duke University Fuqua School of Business Executive Education and Leadership; University of New Hampshire Whittemore School of Business and Economics Leadership Institute; and the Center for Creative Leadership, Executive Coaching and Mentoring, among others.

Affiliations
Doumitt’s numerous affiliations have included corporate board advisory member, Viterbi School of Engineering, USC; steering committee member, USC Spatial Sciences Institute; guest lecturer and mentor, University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management; guest presenter, USC Integrated Media Sciences Center; board of advisors, Stratalux Inc. and Amazon cloud provider AWS Managed Services; and board member, California Geographic Information Association.

John Peck is a leading intellectual property strategist and attorney whose work bridges advanced science and business-driven outcomes. He has been recently recognized by IAM Strategy 300—the global ranking of the world’s top IP strategists—for his distinguished contributions in aligning IP portfolios with commercial imperatives.

With a technical grounding in chemistry and materials science, he has deep expertise in technologies at the intersection of materials, manufacturing, and emerging technologies, including additive manufacturing, amorphous alloys, nanotechnology, metaoptics, optical coatings, and space systems.

John is also widely acknowledged as the United States’ foremost expert in protecting inventions in amorphous alloys and nanotechnology. He was instrumental in building the LiquidMetal Technologies IP portfolio that was later licensed to Apple, and today works closely with Glassimetal Technologies (a Caltech spin-out) to help commercialize the next generation of amorphous alloy innovations.

John’s Ph.D. in Chemistry gives him a firsthand appreciation for the challenges and opportunities within academic research. That perspective enables him to work fluently with inventors, university tech-transfer offices, and startup teams alike. Over the course of his career, John has guided numerous technologies from the laboratory to the market by crafting IP strategies that reflect both technical merit and business goals.

He advises clients across a broad spectrum of technical domains, including novel materials, optics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, medical devices, and oil-field tools. His full-service IP practice spans patent prosecution and strategy, trademark and copyright matters, licensing and enforcement, trade secret protection, and portfolio due diligence.

John is especially passionate about supporting academic innovators and early-stage ventures. His experience in both the research and legal worlds allows him to translate complex ideas into actionable intellectual property programs.

PRACTICE AREAS

Patent Strategy & Protection

Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets

Licensing, Enforcement & Transactions

IP Due Diligence & Portfolio Strategy

University / Academic Technology Transfer

Startup & Venture IP Counseling

EDUCATION

B.S. in Chemistry & Physics, American University

Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Southern California

J.D., magna cum laude, New York University (Order of the Coif; Florence Allen Scholar; Pomeroy Scholar)

Visiting Scholar, UCLA (1999–2000)

BAR ADMISSIONS

California State Bar

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office

U.S. District Courts (Central, Northern, Eastern & Southern Districts of California)

Mayor Chris Pimentel is a technology executive and former Marine Corps infantry officer.

In 2018, he was elected to the El Segundo City Council and has served as mayor since 2024, focusing much of his effort on preserving and sustaining the elements of El Segundo that make it a unique and thriving engine of the region.

Chris contributes to several City committees and boards centered on the interaction with other cities, the county, and the state.

He is also active with numerous community and veteran groups, including the Military Officers Association, and he joins his family in their volunteer efforts.

With a unique ability to understand human systems, communicate across silos, and translate scientific concepts, Dr. Crystal Dilworth stands at the forefront of science communication, technology, and transformational leadership.

As founder of The Crystalline Group, she serves as a strategic advisor to innovation teams, technical leaders, and academic institutions seeking to unlock human potential and build purpose-aligned systems. The Crystalline Group operates globally with a focus in the USA and APAC leveraging an international partner network to catalyze cross-sector impact on an international scale.

Dr. Dilworth is a compelling public speaker, the Host of the historic Watson Lecture series at Caltech, and a frequent contributor on media networks such as Voice of America and Al Jazeera. Saturday mornings on CBS, her alter-ego “Dr. Brain” reaches millions, exploring topics in neuroscience and psychology on the Emmy-nominated television show Mission Unstoppable.

Dr. Dilworth holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Neuroscience from the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech and has been an Instructor in their Center for Technology and Management Education since 2025.

Alex firmly believes in Arthur C. Clarke’s 3rd Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” He joined UP.Partners to invest in the magicians making tomorrow’s mobility ecosystem more sustainable and more equitable. Before joining UP, Alex pursued his passion for aviation at Boeing as an aerospace engineer. He has fixed holes in a 787 as a stress analyst and shot holes into a CH-47 Chinook as a Phantom Works survivability engineer. He invented and co-designed an augmented reality application for the V-22 helicopter and was a systems engineer on a new satellite program for the Air Force.

After Boeing, Alex attended Harvard Business School, where he focused his second-year studies on deep tech venture, the New Space economy, and climate tech. Alex also holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he minored in Spanish and studied the language in Spain and Argentina.

Alex is based in Los Angeles and loves coming up with unnecessary invention ideas. When he’s not tinkering with a 3D printer or falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, you might find him at the Comedy Store or Laugh Factory watching stand-up with his wife, Brooke.

Experienced CEO and board director with demonstrated success as an entrepreneur and founder, as well as leading growth, turn-around, and M&A activities. Experience as rocket scientist, investment banker, venture capitalist and private equity investor. Industry expertise in Aerospace, Defense, Cybersecurity, Surveillance Security, Telecommunications, Digital Media, and Healthcare.

FOCUS
Howard is primarily focused on sourcing new investments and working with Morpheus portfolio companies.

UNIQUE AREAS OF KNOWLEDGE
Robotics, Healthcare, InsureTech, FinTech and PropTech.

CURRENT ROLES
Board Member of Rize, RIOS, Rugged Robotics, IngeniousIO and Tagnos.

Board Observer of Bridg and RapidDeploy

Founder/Partner, Multiball Capital, investing in early stage Healthcare, Aerospace/Defense, and Advanced Manufacturing. Previously (9.5 years) Managing Director of Techstars LA, Techstars Healthcare (Cedars-Sinai, UCIrvine, UnitedHealthcare), and Techstars Space (US Space Force, NASA’s JPL, Lockheed Martin). His companies have raised over $1B and have a market cap of over $15B. Examples include: Pixxel, Zeno Power Systems, Hydrosat, Lux Semiconductors, Urban Sky, Morpheus Space, Prewitt Ridge, MaxRetail, Rwazi, Tasso Inc., Artera, Regard Health, Backpack Health, Solestial (acquired by York Space Systems), NarrativeDX (acquired by Press Ganey), Silversheet (acquired by AMN Healthcare), and Enso (acquired by Hinge). As an angel investor, he has also backed several prominent companies at their earliest stage including Colossal (recently valued at $10.5B), Rula ($2.5B), and Form Bio (+$100M).

Nima Ashraf is the Founder and Managing Director of Physical Fund, a pre-seed venture fund backing physical AI, robotics, and autonomy. Previously a robotics engineer at Zoox, Miso Robotics, and MakerBot.