2026 Speakers

Alan focuses on an array of AI-enabled health tech, energy, security, and enterprise oppor­tu­ni­ties trans­forming industries. In addition to his board roles, he works across our portfolio on product/market fit, go-to-market strategy, and executive leadership development, and led DCVC’s successful exits at Element AI, Evolv (Nasdaq: EVLV), and Caption Health.

Alan has been a successful entre­pre­neur, technology executive, and board member for over 25 years for a range of iconic companies, including DCVC-backed Illumio, Nicira (acquired by VMware), Airespace (acquired by Cisco), Cisco (where he led the $25 billion enterprise marketing and solutions orga­ni­za­tion), General Growth Properties, and IBM. He has authored over 200 articles, undertaken over 1,000 press interviews, and delivered over 100 keynotes at industry conferences. He received a bachelor’s degree in English from SUNY Buffalo, a master’s degree in English from the University of Vermont, a master’s degree in inter­na­tional affairs and economics from the American University School of Inter­na­tional Service, and an MBA from New York University.

In addition to his DCVC respon­si­bil­i­ties, he is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Secure Community Network, a mentor at the NYU-backed Endless Frontier Lab, and an adviser to Black Women on Boards.

Alok Shah is the Vice President of Strategy & Marketing for Samsung Electronics America, where he has account responsibility for strategic customers, steers strategy and planning, leads all aspects of corporate communications, and monitors regulatory and public policy for Samsung’s North American Networks business. Previously, Alok led technical marketing, including consumer messaging, market requirements, and regulatory impact, for Samsung’s US Mobile division.

Alok, who joined Samsung in 2011, has more than 25 years of strategy, technical marketing, product management, and engineering experience in the wireless industry. Prior to Samsung, Alok served as Senior Product Marketing Manager at Freescale Semiconductor, where he managed multiple network processor product lines, and Principal Technology Analyst at Vanu, Inc., where he was responsible for developing technology strategies, partner ecosystems, and market and competitive intelligence for a disruptive mobile infrastructure vendor. Alok previously worked in various engineering and product management roles at Vanu and Motorola.

Alok holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Andrew De La Torre, Senior Vice President of Technology, Infrastructure Industries, is responsible for driving strategic decisions that strengthen the competitive position of Oracle’s AI-driven, cloud-based applications portfolio for the Construction & Engineering, Utilities, and Communication’s industries. He leads the vision and direction for best-in-class products and solutions that enable Oracle’s customers in those industries to compete and innovate in an increasingly challenging and dynamic technology landscape. Through his leadership, De La Torre helps customers accelerate transformation and deliver mission-critical business outcomes in highly regulated environments. He also oversees the Sales Engineering Center of Excellence, Cyber Security, and Customer Support teams serving these three industries.

Prior to joining Oracle, De La Torre spent 21 years at Vodafone in roles as Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Americas and Vodafone Malta, as well as Global Technology Strategy Officer for Vodafone Group. During his tenure, he led multi-tiered, highly skilled teams in the delivery of consumer and enterprise solutions across mobility, fixed network, IoT, cloud, and security. He also oversaw project execution across IT, mobile and fixed network, data centers, and business systems.

In addition to his telecom experience, De La Torre has worked in the Construction Industry and consulted in oil and gas with Fortune 500 companies that have tapped his experience in corporate governance, finance, strategic planning, and technology transformation.

Ankur Kapoor is executive vice president and chief network officer at T-Mobile, where he leads the company’s end-to-end network strategy and operations. He is responsible for the evolution and performance of T-Mobile’s mobile network, including the core and radio access network, as well as network automation, devices and new technologies.

With more than 26 years of experience in the global wireless industry, Ankur brings deep technical and operational expertise to advancing T-Mobile’s network evolution. His team focuses on delivering reliable, high-performing connectivity at scale while modernizing the network through cloud-based architectures, automation and emerging technologies.

Ankur also leads T-Mobile’s long-term network planning, including industry research and collaboration on future connectivity frameworks and next-generation wireless technologies. In addition, he works closely with policy and regulatory stakeholders to support wireless innovation and the continued advancement of communications infrastructure in the United States.

Before joining T-Mobile, Ankur had senior network and technology leadership roles across the wireless industry, contributing to the development and deployment of large-scale mobile networks worldwide.

Ankur has an honors degree in electronics and telecommunications.

Ashmeet is the Founder and Chief Engineer of Engineering Capital.

Investing before traditional venture firms, Engineering Capital specializes in leading seed rounds in software companies with a technical insight. Ashmeet’s experience includes running venture capital funds and leadership positions helping build the industry leading products VMware ESX Server and Silicon Graphics WebFORCE.

Ashmeet came to venture from VMware, where he ran product management for their flagship product – ESX Server. His successful investments include Azure (IPO AZRE), Rubrik (IPO RBRK), SignalFx, acquired by Splunk for $1 billion, Tubi.tv, acquired by FOX, AirGap, acquired by ZScaler, Robust Intelligence acquired by Cisco etc. He serves on the Board of Directors of Evinced, Nexla, Tapistro and WideField. His other investments include Asimily, CtrlStack, Kentik, Kognitos, Menlo Security, vFunction, and Xano – in all of which he was the seed investor.

Ashmeet received an MBA from Wharton with Honors, MS in Computer Science from Stanford University, and a BS in Computer Science summa cum laude from the University of Southern California. In his spare-time he can be found planning his second trip to Mt. Everest.

Barak Turovsky is EVP & Head of Consumer AI at Paramount, where he leads the company’s Consumer AI strategy and initiatives across personalization, monetization, and AI transformation.

Barak spent more than a decade at Google, where he led the Languages AI organization responsible for productizing and commercializing AI technologies across Google Search, Ads, YouTube, Cloud, Android, Google Translate, and other products. He led the commercialization of some of the industry’s earliest large-scale AI and large language model-powered consumer experiences, helping bring AI innovations from research into products used by billions of people worldwide.

Most recently, Barak served as Chief AI Officer at General Motors, where he led enterprise AI strategy and deployment across product development, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and corporate functions. Before GM, he was VP of AI at Cisco, leading AI product, research, and engineering initiatives across enterprise platforms, developer productivity, customer experience, and security. Earlier, he served as Chief Product and Technology Officer at Trax, a global leader in computer vision AI for retail and commerce.

Beyond his operating roles, Barak advises leading venture capital firms on AI strategy and emerging technologies and teaches AI Applications in the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Education program.

Barak holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business and an LL.B. from Tel Aviv University.

Ben Shwab Eidelson is a co-founder and partner at Stepchange Ventures, an early-stage venture fund backing companies building software to accelerate energy abundance and upgrade critical infrastructure. Ben also co-hosts the Stepchange Show, a long-form podcast that tells the stories of human progress through the lens of transformative technologies, systems, and infrastructure. The Stepchange Show recently covered the history of data centers and the power grid, and has had over 250,000 downloads. Prior to Stepchange, Ben was a product leader and repeat founder, building two software companies—one acquired by Google and the second by Stripe. Ben holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University. When not nerding out on infrastructure, Ben can be found with his wife chasing their 3 kids around local Seattle playgrounds.

Brandon Johnson is the Senior Vice President of Engineering and Automation at Assurant, a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases. Brandon oversees all engineering and automation initiatives related to the mobile device lifecycle across 20 locations worldwide. His primary responsibility is to lead a team that implements innovative software and robotics technologies to enhance efficiency, safety, quality, and device value.

Under Brandon’s leadership, Assurant has developed transformational solutions, including patented AI/ML-driven platforms for device cosmetic grading, automated device diagnostics, and robotic repair technology. These advancements have significantly improved processes within Assurant as well as driven best practices of reuse in the mobile device industry.

Before joining Assurant, Brandon served as the Vice President of Device Operations at Hyla Mobile. In this role, he was responsible for managing reverse logistics operations for leading mobile device retailers, carriers, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). In December 2020, Assurant acquired Hyla Mobile, when Brandon took on a new role driving device lifecycle innovation globally.

Brandon holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and resides in Nashville, TN.

Brian brings more than 30 years of experience on Wall Street and in operating roles. He is an experienced strategist and previously served as the Executive Vice President of Strategy, M&A, and Venture Investments at Qualcomm, helping to define the company’s strategic direction and long-term vision. During his time at Qualcomm, Brian led the company’s M&A and venture investment efforts, completing several key acquisitions and venture investments in several subsectors, including Mobile/RF, Automotive, IOT, AI, AR/VR and Networking.

Prior to Qualcomm, Brian served as a Managing Director in Equity Research at Deutsche Bank Securities. In this capacity, he provided strategic advice to numerous companies on IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital funding.

Brian holds a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management and a BA in economics from California State University, Fullerton.

A history major who became a frontier tech investor, Brian Wilcove has always looked for the technologies everyone underestimates until they’re unavoidable. As a Managing Partner at America’s Frontier Fund—a venture firm investing at the intersection of private capital and U.S. sovereign priorities—he partners with founders turning strategically vital technologies into enduring companies, strengthening American and allied leadership in compute, energy, biology, robotics, defense, and advanced manufacturing.

His career has been shaped by first-principles thinking, relentless learning, and a refusal to accept incremental outcomes. He brings more than twenty years of experience as an investor and board member, with a focus on white space: companies building the infrastructure and capabilities that define new markets.

As a former entrepreneur—he co-founded Virtela, a software-defined networking pioneer acquired by NTT to anchor their global networking business—he knows what it takes to build from zero. Earlier roles at ANS, America Online, and Qwest preceded his investment career at TeleSoft Partners and Sofinnova Ventures.

He holds a degree from Miami University and is a Philadelphia native based in the Bay Area.

Chetan Sharma is the CEO of Chetan Sharma Consulting and is one of the leading strategists in the mobile industry. Executives from wireless companies around the world seek his accurate predictions, independent insights, and actionable recommendations. He has served as an advisor to senior executive management of several Fortune 100 companies in the wireless space and is probably the only industry strategist who has advised each of the top 10 global mobile data operators. Chetan serves on the advisory boards of Ericsson, Telefonica, Kymeta, NextNav, Zeotap, Opanga Networks, A5GNetworks, Lotusflare, and a number of other startups.

Chetan is the author or co-author of over 15 best-selling books on wireless including Mobile Advertising: Supercharge your brand in the exploding wireless market and Wireless Broadband: Conflict and Convergence. He is also the editor of the Mobile Future Forward Book Series. His books have been adopted in several corporate training programs and university courses at NYU, Stanford, and Tokyo University. His research work is widely quoted in the industry. Chetan is interviewed frequently by leading international media publications such as Time magazine, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Japan Media Review, Mobile Communications International, and TechCrunch, and has appeared on NPR, WBBN, and CNBC as a wireless data technology expert. He is also the chief curator of the mobile thought leadership executive forums – Mobile Future Forward and Mobile Breakfast Series.

Chetan is an advisor to CEOs and CTOs of some of the leading wireless technology companies on product strategy and Intellectual Property (IP) development and serves on the advisory boards of several companies. He is also a sought-after IP strategist and expert witness in the wireless industry and has worked on and testified in some of the most landmark cases in the industry such as Qualcomm vs. Broadcom, Samsung vs. Ericsson, Sprint vs. Verizon, Openwave vs. 724 Solutions, and Upaid vs. Satyam. Chetan is a senior member of IEEE, IEEE Communications Society, and IEEE Computers Society. He has Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Kansas State University and Bachelor of Science degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.

David Goldman is the Vice President of Satellite Policy for SpaceX. David joined SpaceX in 2018 to build an international team based in Washington, DC to oversee spectrum and broadband policy across the globe. He now runs a growing team of more than twenty people based in six countries who drive key policy initiatives and are responsible for authorizing multiple satellite broadband constellations consisting of more than ten thousand satellites. His team has also achieved new rules for direct satellite-to-phone service and improved processes for approval of rocket launches and landings.

Prior to joining SpaceX, David was the Chief Counsel for the Communication and Technology Subcommittee. In that role, David built a team that led negotiations for multiple laws, including those that made more spectrum available for mobile broadband, reauthorized the FCC, improved network resilience during emergencies, and improved E911. He previously served as the Senior Legal Advisor for FCC then-Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. He was the Commissioner’s chief advisor on wireless, international, and public safety issues, along with responsibility for other issues of policy, strategy, public relations, and office operations. While with Commissioner Rosenworcel, David was responsible for a number of critical issues, including making new spectrum available for broadband and updating rules for 911.

David joined Commissioner Rosenworcel’s office from the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where he served on detail as Counsel to the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. While serving with the Commerce Committee, David helped lead negotiations on a law that created FirstNet, a nationwide network for first responders, and a first-of-its-kind spectrum incentive auction that enabled new mobile broadband services and raised billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury.

Prior to serving on Capitol Hill, David served in a number of positions at the FCC, including in the office of Chairman Genachowski and as a Policy Advisor to the Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. He joined the agency as an Honors Attorney, serving as Attorney Advisor in the Spectrum Competition and Policy Division of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. Before this, he served as Staff Law Clerk at the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and as an associate at the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed in New York.

David received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida.

Derek leads Cambridge Consultant’s engagement with the telecommunications and technology sector, helping create breakthrough innovations that transform high-performance communications and the convergence of networks and AI – for MNOs, SNOs, vendors and manufacturers.

With over 20 years’ experience in telecommunications, Derek has held a range of senior management roles with multinationals and has a wealth of expertise across all generations of mobile and broadband technology and services. Derek holds a PhD in telecommunications from the University of Bristol.

Ewan Duncan is a Senior Partner with McKinsey & Company, Seattle. Ewan is a core leader of McKinsey’s Technology, Media and Telecom sector and has worked across the telecom sector value chain over the last 25 years. Ewan is one of the leaders of McKinsey Digital where he leads McKinsey’s alliance with one of the leading cloud platforms, and was the founder of McKinsey’s Customer Experience service line. Prior to joining McKinsey & Company, Ewan was with Doblin Inc. and IDEO. Ewan holds an M.Des. in Design Planning from the Institute of Design, IIT and a B.Eng. in Product Design Engineering jointly from Glasgow University and Glasgow School of Art.

Glenn brings more than 30 years’ experience scaling and leading multi-billion-dollar businesses to the Stormbreaker portfolio. With extensive experience leading public companies, Glenn is skilled at growing innovative businesses within larger organizations and catapulting businesses and teams to their next phases of growth.

Most recently the President, CEO, and member of the Board of Directors of Synchronoss Technologies. Prior to Synchronoss, Glenn served as President and CEO of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Operations where he successfully grew AT&T into the nation’s leading wireless and consumer business.

Former President, CEO, and Board Member of Synchronoss Technologies;
Former President and CEO of AT&T’s Mobility and Consumer Operations;
Board Member of Avis Budget Group, Pivotal Commware, Teal Communications, and Blue Link Wireless;
Veteran Startup Advisor

Jeff Giard is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of leadership in the wireless industry, specializing in strategic partnerships, emerging technologies, and business development. As Vice President at T-Mobile, Jeff drives high-impact initiatives that shape the future of connectivity—including the groundbreaking collaboration with SpaceX to deliver satellite direct-to-cell service. He also leads innovation strategies around AI, search, and next-generation network capabilities.

Throughout his career at T-Mobile, Jeff has held multiple senior leadership roles, spearheading new ventures in media, fiber partnerships, advertising, and mobile identity. His efforts have consistently fueled revenue growth, forged ecosystem-wide collaborations, and positioned T-Mobile at the forefront of industry evolution. Prior to T-Mobile, he held executive positions at Clearwire and Alltel, where he led product development, mobile advertising, and data strategies during critical periods of growth and transformation.
A visionary connector and operator, Jeff combines strategic insight with a deep understanding of technology trends to deliver lasting business impact.

John Saw is the chief technology officer at T-Mobile, where he leads the team responsible for advancing America’s best network. He also oversees the company’s information technology and cybersecurity organizations, which focus on building the secure, transformative experiences customers expect from T-Mobile while equipping employees with the state-of-the-industry technology and tools.

John’s team drives innovation and evolution across architecture, engineering, operations, IT, cybersecurity and the company’s technology labs. This includes T-Innovate, which brings together partners, developers and the tech community to collaborate on wireless solutions, fuel the 5G ecosystem and shape standards for the 6G era. John and his team work seamlessly with the Operations organization to ensure seamless execution of T-Mobile’s strategy across the enterprise to deliver on our differentiated commercial, customer and growth ambitions.

John founded the AI-RAN Innovation Center, advancing standards for RAN intelligence and performance in collaboration with Ericsson, Nokia and NVIDIA. His team showcases the power of T-Mobile’s 5G standalone network through activations at events like the Las Vegas Grand Prix, PGA Championships and Major League Baseball.

Before joining T-Mobile in 2020, John was chief technology officer at Sprint, where he spearheaded the company’s 5G rollout and transformed the 2.5 GHz band into one of the most valuable spectrum assets in wireless. He previously had senior leadership roles at AT&T, Clearwire, Netro Corp., Nortel and Bell Northern Research.

John earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from McMaster University in Canada. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, has seven patents in wireless technologies, and has served on the FCC’s broadband deployment advisory committee. He also advises the University of Washington’s College of Engineering and serves on the board of directors for CTIA, a trade association representing the U.S. wireless communications industry.

Kris Rydberg is currently Chief Business Officer at Viridian Space Corporation, where he has linked arms with the founders, to drive strategy, business development, fundraising, and commercialization of their Atmospheric Breathing Electric Propulsion (ABEP) technology which increases the persistence, maneuverability, security, and bandwidth of orbital platforms for the next generation of space-based services.

A seasoned executive with 30+ years of leadership experience, Kris recently served as strategic advisor to the board and CEO at Nauticus Robotics (NASDAQ: KITT) and previously was COO and SVP Commercial at Terradepth a subsea autonomy and SaaS Series A startup, securing contracts with ExxonMobil and SpaceX.

He has served as CEO, Chief Strategist, COO, VP Operations, Managing Director, and Global Segment Strategy Leader at Schneider Electric. He has contributed to multiple patents and speaks on deep-tech startup scaling: 0 –> 1 –> n.

He holds an M.B.A. from Syracuse University and executive credentials from the University of Minnesota and Georgetown. Kris lives near Austin TX and has been married for thirty-four years to Stephanie, and as the father of ten children, has gained extensive expertise in building and scaling high-performing organizations.

Lori Salow Marshall is co-founder of The Quantum Links™ Group, an advisory firm focused on enabling deep tech ventures turn frontier science into category leadership and commercial scale. She works at the intersection of go-to-market optimization, operational rigor, and ecosystem development to help founders, investors, and C-suite leaders drive sustainable growth. Author of the Ecosystem Entanglement™ series, Lori provides a practitioner’s view on the physics of ecosystems and the commercialization of deep tech in hyperbolic markets.

Maik Hassel is a product and technology leader with a career built at the frontier of emerging technology. Across aerospace, automotive, telecom, fintech, and AI, he has repeatedly been at the table when transformative technologies make the leap from research promise to commercial reality — navigating the technical, organizational, and market complexity that transition demands.

His breadth of experience provides a rare, grounded perspective on how deep tech actually matures: where the real barriers lie, what separates hype from durable progress, and how to build toward outcomes that hold up under scrutiny.

As VP of Product at Photonic Inc., Maik is helping define the product strategy for one of the most ambitious quantum computing platforms being built — one designed from the ground up for the large-scale, fault-tolerant, distributed quantum systems that enterprise, defence, and national security applications will ultimately require. His focus is on translating Photonic’s technical edge into a clear path to operational readiness for the industries where the stakes are highest.

Manish Singh is the Co-Founder and CPO of memQ, and drives the company’s technical and product vision, blending the power of quantum computing with the commercial scale of semiconductor manufacturing to advance its extensible quantum network architecture (xQNA). Before launching memQ, Manish spent several years driving R&D at TSMC, working on advanced logic node technology and the emerging memory technologies. He also holds the distinction of being among the first students in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in Quantum Science and Engineering from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, alongside a dual degree (MS BS) in chemical engineering from IIT Kanpur in India.

Manish Mangal is the Head of the Americas Communications Business at Tech Mahindra, leading one of the company’s most strategic and high-growth markets. He is a distinguished figure in the telecommunications industry, widely recognized for his visionary leadership and a 27-year career marked by transformative contributions and industry-first innovations across renowned organizations such as Reliance Jio, T-Mobile US (formerly Sprint), and Nokia.

With a career rooted in both strategic insight and operational execution, Manish brings a unique blend of deep technological expertise and business leadership. His broad experience spans across strategy, technology, operations, and organizational leadership—establishing him as a trusted advisor and catalyst for change within the global telecom ecosystem.

Since joining Tech Mahindra, Manish has played a critical role in driving growth and innovation. He previously led the Network Services Business Unit with full P&L responsibility, overseeing globally distributed teams across sales, portfolio and solution development, delivery, alliances, and operations. His leadership has been instrumental in advancing next-generation network technologies, including 5G, AI-powered automation, and cloud-native architectures.

Based in the United States throughout his career, Manish has partnered with telecom operators across the globe, offering him a nuanced, international perspective on the industry’s evolution. He holds an impressive portfolio of 60 U.S. patents, underscoring his strong innovation credentials and deep commitment to shaping the future of telecommunications.

Manish is also a frequent speaker at major industry forums and conferences, where he shares his insights on the future of networks, digital transformation, and emerging technologies. His thought leadership is regularly featured in leading telecom and technology publications, reflecting his influence and relevance across the industry.

At the heart of Manish’s leadership philosophy is a focus on aligning customer needs with business strategy—fostering innovation, delivering measurable value, and enabling sustainable growth.

Manish holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and has completed executive leadership programs at Harvard University and Mahindra Learning University.

As the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Provider Mobility business, Masum leads the strategic initiatives and product development, including designing groundbreaking Mobile IoT and 5G product and solutions for communication service providers, industries, and enterprises. Under his leadership, Cisco’s Provider Mobility solutions and technology have been deployed in the world’s largest communication networks.

During his time at Cisco, Masum shared his product and technology domain expertise, nurturing Cisco’s mission to empower global digital transformation. And with more than 20 years of experience in the networking and telecommunication industries, Masum is also a sought-after speaker for industry events.

Before joining Cisco, Masum worked with industry-leading companies gaining valuable experience in the networking and telecommunication industries and developing a leadership style that delivers results.

Masum has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and pursued his business education in Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program.

Noah Aptekar is a multifaceted executive with a passion for driving execution
and delivery the telecommunications, aerospace, technology, and consumer
sectors. He is the Founder and COO of Sovera Corporation, a satellite internet
company that provides broadband services to sovereign nations. He is also a Co-Founder and CEO of IX Acquisition Corp., an investment platform focused on digital infrastructure (cell towers, fiber networks, data centers, submarine cables and satellite services) in emerging markets with extensive ties into infrastructure finance and multilateral finance institutions like the IFC and the World Bank.

Previously he spent four years at SpaceX, where he drove the rapid development and cost-effective delivery of the critical enabling technologies for the Starlink global satellite internet system, including the intersatellite links or Space Lasers that secured the Starshield contract and the User Terminal that is the foundation of the Starlink consumer broadband service.

Mr. Aptekar was a core member of the turnaround team for Starlink which accelerated the program after the launch of the two TinTin demonstration satellites in early 2018 to launching 60 of the re-architected flat-pack
v0.9 satellites in early 2019. He personally delivered the initial Starlink User Terminal printed circuit board assembly and final unit assembly and test facility in HT27 within 11 weeks of budget approval and laid the foundation for SpaceX to insource plastic injection molding, metal die casting and printed circuit board fabrication—all of which now occupy approximately 2 million square feet of production space in Bastrop, Texas as a continuation of the strategic direction Mr. Aptekar gave the program through high-paced
execution.

Upon arriving at SpaceX, Mr. Aptekar brought financial discipline to the entire production division, which accounted for approximately one-third of the company’s employees actively engaged in the production and manufacturing of the Falcon 9 and Dragon vehicles, and was responsible for financial planning, cost analysis and budget management activities for the division’s nine-figure annual operating and capital spend.

Prior to SpaceX, while working for Colorado’s then-Governor John W. Hickenlooper in the Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Noah co-created the $100+ million Advanced Industries fund, which matches private investments with high-tech businesses and entrepreneurs. He also established and managed the due diligence and investment committee processes for the Advanced Industries fund. Mr. Aptekar has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Yale University
and has taken courses in pursuit of a Master of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Per Jr. Greisen is the President and Head of Protein Design / Chief Scientist of AI Biology at BioMap, an AI-driven life sciences and drug discovery company. He specializes in computational drug design, de novo protein engineering, and generative AI for biotherapeutics

Rishabh Agarwal is the CEO and Cofounder of Peer Robotics, a physical AI company building intelligent robots for real world industrial operations in the US. Peer brings AI into dynamic warehouse and logistics environments through systems that combine perception with human centered design, enabling the people on the floor to integrate and deploy robots themselves.

The company’s flagship Peer3000 is an autonomous pallet jack built for existing brownfield facilities, operating across the US. It has earned both the iF Design Award 2026 and the Red Dot Design Award.

Sean Schneyer is Everpure’s Chief Telecom Architect, where he leads strategic initiatives for major telecommunications providers and drives innovation across global engagements. With over 27 years of experience in the Telecommunications and Media & Entertainment industries, Sean is a trusted advisor in network transformation, AI infrastructure, and data-centric architectures. He has partnered with industry leaders such as Nokia, Red Hat, and top North American carriers, and is widely recognized for bridging technical depth with business outcomes. Sean is a member of the AI-RAN Alliance and a contributor to thought leadership across the telecom ecosystem, championing internal knowledge sharing and industry collaboration.

Shawn Hakl is the Senior Vice President of AT&T Business Product responsible for the portfolio servicing Enterprise, Public Sector, Partner and Small Business Segments, which generates over $30 billion in annual revenue.
A seasoned leader in cloud, AI and communications, Shawn’s unique knowledge of software, security and infrastructure are helping enterprises, government and small businesses harness the power of technology to successfully execute on their digital transformation. In his current role, Shawn is responsible for wireline, 5G/wireless, voice/UC, security/SASE, data center, AIOps and Network as a Service product lines.

Before joining AT&T, Shawn led the Microsoft Azure for Operators strategy, integrating Microsoft AI and Cloud assets with acquisitions like Affirmed Networks and Metaswitch. His efforts established Azure as the preferred platform for 5G networks and AI-driven operations across operators, enterprises, and governments. Initially an incubation project, success with key clients propelled Azure for Operators into Azure’s core product families for edge computing and AI.

Prior to Microsoft, he served as Senior Vice President of Business Product at Verizon, managing a $29 billion portfolio that included 5G, Mobile Edge Compute, SaaS, Security, Internet of Things, Cloud Collaboration and Professional services. His experience at Verizon also spans leadership roles in operations, IT, and sales engineering.

Shawn serves on the board of directors of LevelBlue and Mplfy. He is a Syntropy Executive Advisor and a Versa Technical Advisor. Shawn was named as a Top 25 Telecom Movers and Shakers in 2018 and in 2021 by Fierce Telecom.

Shawn began his career at Accenture and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary. Shawn is a former national team athlete on the Canadian luge team. He and his wife Leslie reside in Dallas, TX.

Vikram Pavate is based out of San Francisco, California, and is the CEO and Co-Founder of Tacta Systems. Vikram previously worked at Locix as a CEO and Co-Founder. Vikram Pavate attended Purdue University

Yago Tenorio serves as Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President of Technology Development at Verizon. In his role, Yago leads network strategy and planning, industry standards, capital management, device technology, and product engineering. He collaborates closely with industry partners to cultivate emerging technologies, mapping out the next generation of solutions designed to elevate the Verizon customer experience.

Prior to joining Verizon, Yago spent more than 25 years at Vodafone building high-performance teams and is recognized for his expertise in architecting Vodafone’s Open RAN, Cloud Networking and Network APIs. He served as CTO for Vodafone Ireland and Chief Network Officer in the UK, successfully leading Vodafone’s network coverage for the 2012 London Olympics. He is widely respected as an innovator and thought leader in mobile networks, pioneering concepts including Single RAN and Open RAN. Yago has invented and patented technologies including a revolutionary small cell, a novel location system, and the first cloud-based smartphone. He has deployed several world-first innovations, including the first 5G non-standalone call and the first 5G commercial smartphone connection.

Yago is known for driving innovation throughout the industry during his tenure as Chairman of the Telecom Infra Project and Chairman of UK start-up Lime Microsystems. For his contributions to the industry, Yago was elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in the UK in 2024, one of the most prestigious industry honors across all fields of engineering that very few professionals achieve in their technical careers.