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Leadership
CO-FOUNDER & GENERAL PARTNER
Maggie has over fifteen years of experience as an investor in early and growth stage companies and is a recognized expert on emerging technologies and global security policy. Prior to co-founding Audere, Maggie was an Investment Principal at Rose Park Advisors, a multi-billion dollar investment firm with a public and private strategy, founded by HBS Prof. Clay Christensen, based on his pioneering work on Disruptive Innovation Theory. Prior to Rose Park, Maggie was a co-founder and General Partner of GCVC, an early-stage venture capital fund investing into the intersection of deep technology in AI/ML, robotics, computational data, and commercial innovation. GCVC was top 10% in DPI for its vintage and included an early exit in Bear Flag Robotics. Maggie is a Visiting Fellow at the National Security Institute at George Mason University. In 2022 she was appointed to be a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and also sits on the Board of Directors of the Afghanistan World Foundation. She is a Mentor at Endless Frontier Labs, where she advises DeepTech seed companies, and is a Kaufman Fellow in class 26. Maggie holds an MBA from Wharton, where she studied abroad in the UAE and in South Africa and conducted primary research in Pakistan on the impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative. She holds a BA from UC Santa Barbara in Political Science and Environmental Studies.
MAGGIE SPRENGER
PETER ACKERSON
CO-FOUNDER & GENERAL PARTNER
Peter has over twenty years of experience as an investor and entrepreneur across early and growth stage companies, including multiple technology Unicorns. Prior to co-founding Audere, Peter was a General Partner at Fin Capital, a global fintech investment firm which grew from $40M to over $1.2 billion in AUM, including over 120 portfolio companies and 13 unicorns. At Fin he served on the boards of Maxwell, Pipe, Ternary, Teampay, and Samcart. Fin was top performer for its vintage and included successful exits in SoFi and Power. Prior to Fin, Peter was CFO and Partner at Symphony AI, a $1 billion investment platform focused on artificial intelligence applications, where he held investing, operating, and board member roles in multiple AI technology companies and was the founding CFO and first board member at ConcertAI, a $3 billion data and AI platform for clinical cancer solutions. Peter previously worked with McKinsey & Co’s Venture SaaS practice; at Wells Fargo’s Technology Equity Research group (including working on the Facebook, Workday, ServiceNow, and Marin Software IPOs) and at BAML’s Technology Investment Banking Group. He is a Kaufman Fellow in class 26. Peter holds an MBA from UVA, where he studied abroad in Mexico City and Shanghai, was a Locke Ogens Scholar, and was elected to the Raven Society. He holds a BBA from William& Mary with dual concentrations in Finance and English.
Venture
Partners
VENTURE PARTNER
DR. BRIGHAM HYDE
Co-founder & CEO of Atropos Health, an AI driven digital health platform Co-Founder and CEO of Concert AI, a $2B AI company providing clinical cancer data and analytics Partner at Symphony AI, a $1B venture platform focused on artificial intelligence startups
EVAN LOOMIS
VENTURE PARTNER
Co-founder of ICON, a $1.8B 3D printing / advanced materials company Founding Partner of Saturn Five, a technology investor and incubator Founder of TreeHouse Member of the Council on Foreign Relations
IAN EISHEN
VENTURE PARTNER
Director at Aalyria, an advanced wireless comms network for connectivity across land, sea, air, and space Department of Defense AI Workforce Subcommittee Presidential Leadership Scholar Director of Emerging Technology and Innovation Policy, US Air Force
JENNIFER MITRENGA
VENTURE PARTNER
COO of HQ Digital a $1B+ AUM wealth management platform Founding team at Figure Technologies, a $3B blockchain company 10 years with Goldman Sachs
STEVE MCKNIGHT
VENTURE PARTNER
Climate Tech investor in supply chain, materials, energy, water, waste recovery, and agriculture. Founding team and government lead 374Water (NASDAQ: SCWO) and Co-Founder, Lavit. Advisor Farm to Fork, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, and Member Nexus Global.
Senior
Advisors
FRANCES TOWNSEND
SENIOR ADVISOR
Assistant to the US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism US National Security Council Acting US Deputy Assistant Attorney General Board Director, Council on Foreign Relations Board Director, Chubb Insurance Board Director, Freeport McMoRan
LT. GEN. MIKE BARBERO (ret)
SENIOR ADVISOR
Director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) Commanding General US and NATO Command – Iraq Commanding General, Fort Benning Georgia Outside Director, SAAB Inc.
SENIOR ADVISOR
DON BAER
Senior Partner, Brunswick Group Global Chair and CEO of Burson-Marsteller Chairman of the Board of PBS White House Director of Communications and Strategic Planning SVP, Strategy and Development at Discovery
BRIG. GEN. E. JOHN TEICHERT (ret)
SENIOR ADVISOR
Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force, International Affairs Senior Defense Attache to Iraq USAF Commander 412th Test Wing and Edwards Airforce Base Deputy Director, DoD Special Access Program
SENIOR ADVISOR
RADM WYMAN HOWARD (ret)
Rear Adm. Hugh Wyman Howard III is a SEAL officer who assumed command of Naval Special Warfare Command on 11 September 2020. He previously commanded Special Operations Command Central leading joint special operations forces across the Central Region, following service as assistant commander, Joint Special Operations Command. He has commanded at all levels of Special Operations, including service as commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He has multiple tours in command of Joint Task Forces, and was among the first to deploy into Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, 2001, deploying consistently since. The combat contributions of the teams he commanded, and with whom he served, were recognized with five Presidential Unit Citations and four Joint Meritorious Unit Awards. His joint, interagency and policy staff experience includes service as director of operations for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; deputy director for Global Operations, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff; and director for Counterterrorism Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He holds a Master of Science in National Security and Resource Strategy with a focus on space from the Eisenhower School; a Master of Business Administration from the TRIUM consortium of the London School of Economics, HEC Paris School of Management, and New York University’s Stern School of Business; and a Professional Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His professional military education also includes the Naval War College, Joint Special Operations University, and the Defense Language Institute.
MARGUERITE BENSON
SENIOR ADVISOR
Head of Federal, Altana Digital Supply Chain Sr. Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency Branch Chief, EUCOM Under Secretary for DoD Intelligence Fulbright Scholar (Poland/Ukraine) McKinsey & Company
GRACE DIANA
SENIOR ADVISOR
Investment and Innovation Fellow, US SBA Senior Manager of Federal Government Relations, Samsung Electronics America Executive Director, White House National Science and Technology Council
RYAN SWANN
SENIOR ADVISOR
Chief Data Architect, Vanguard Investment Member of the Defense Innovation Board Deputy Director Business Intelligence and Analytics, US Treasury Aviation Logistics NCO, US Marine Corp
JAETHAN REICHEL
SENIOR ADVISOR
Partner at Bellnote Partners, an investor in climate-tech founders from pre-seed to public listings worth over $3.4B Co-Founder and CEO at Lightship Works, a technology platform for integrating information from in-field data capture, sensors, and mobile asset tracking
Associates
CAROLINE SABATT
ASSOCIATE
A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Caroline served as a naval flight officer aboard the P-8A “Poseidon" and as a personal aide to two U.S. fleet commanders. She went on to join Shield AI as a Business Operations Manager and No One Left Behind as their Chief Operating Officer. A 2020 Tillman Scholar, she is now pursuing a joint MPP & MBA through the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, where she will build upon her military, private sector, and non-profit experience.
Venture
Fellows
NIBRAS BASITKEY
VENTURE FELLOW
Nibras is an assistant director for the empowerME Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Basitkey worked for several international organizations and think tanks, including the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, the Religious Freedom Institute, and the Iraq Mission to the United Nations.
JORY SEGAL
VENTURE FELLOW
Jory is an Associate at Segal Ventures LP. Previously, Jory served as a Vice President of UST and MBS Trading at Nomura for 7 years in NYC.
Proven reputation for adding value through
operating expertise and network access.
“Maggie's ability to meet founders where they are, while guiding them to where they are going, is exceptional. It is no wonder Maggie is a favorite investor among her founders and is able to get into premier deals.”
— ROBOTICS PORTFOLIO COMPANY CEO
“Peter really took the time to understand our business and he has offered great advice on how to grow and scale with both an operator and venture capital point of view."
— E-COMMERCE PORTFOLIO COMPANY CEO
“Maggie singlehandedly saved our Seed round and was the investor that made our Series A possible. I’m really grateful to have you in my life and look forward to continue this growing relationship.”
— EMBEDDED FINANCE PORTFOLIO COMPANY CEO
“Peter is a standout investor and board member, whose operating experience, judgment, and empathy are extremely valuable. He is very actively engaged and provides a broad network, strong introductions, and actionable insights.”
— FINTECH PORTFOLIO COMPANY CEO
