Mission discipline from orbit. Four decades of AI company creation. Two venture funds built and managed. An agentic platform running the firm itself.
February 2010: Terry Virts at the newly installed ISS cupola — the seven-window observatory his Space Shuttle Endeavour mission delivered to orbit. Photography courtesy of NASA.
Colonel Terry Virts (USAF, ret.) is a former NASA astronaut and 30-year Air Force veteran. An F-16 pilot with more than 230 combat hours, he piloted Space Shuttle Endeavour and commanded the International Space Station, leading a crew of six for 200 days in orbit. A guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, public speaker, and consultant, Terry brings mission discipline, technology fluency earned the hard way, and an uncompromising approach to risk — forged in combat and in orbit.
A serial AI entrepreneur with four decades at the intersection of AI, technology, and company creation, Ed has founded five AI ventures over 35 years with three exits, and is a two-time Entrepreneur of the Year and AI-150 honoree. He is Professor of the Practice at NC State University and Chairman of Cloud Pharmaceuticals, which applies AI to drug discovery. With three engineering degrees focused in bioinformatics and AI, an MBA, and a law degree, Ed is the entrepreneurial and AI engine of the firm.
A venture capitalist by trade, Carl served as founder and Managing Director of the Next Generation Capital Fund I and II venture funds, participated in 22 investments, mergers, and acquisitions, and replaced the CEOs of three struggling portfolio companies, steering them to successful exits. Through IBM, Price Waterhouse, Arthur Young, and his own firm, he has provided consulting and technology services to over 250 organizations. Carl is the systems thinker who sees how the pieces fit together — and how they scale.
Solomon is the founder and CEO of Blue Collar Objects, an innovation-as-a-service technology company, and the architect of its agentic AI platform. Over more than 25 years he has led transformation programs for the U.S. Department of Defense, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Fannie Mae, and others. At Alpha Endeavour, Solomon builds and manages the proprietary AI platform that runs the firm — applying agentic AI to sourcing, diligence, monitoring, and operations.
Backed by a deep bench.
A founding Associate of Next Generation Capital Fund I, Mr. Ekhsigian led the fund's financial operations and actively engaged in investor relations, capital formation, and managing new business opportunities, and played an active operational role in several of the technology portfolio companies. Currently, as Chief Financial Officer of a private real estate development and investment firm, he manages multiple subsidiaries and reports directly to the President and parent corporation. He has closed over $500 million of transactions. He earned an MBA from George Mason University and a BA in Economics from Whittier College.
An expert in intellectual property, licensing, international trade development, joint venture structuring, innovation management, and corporate entity structuring for IP commercialization, technology acquisition due diligence, and technology valuations. Joe worked at GE for 34 years, finishing his career as Chief Innovation Officer & Managing Director, Ventures for GE Licensing & Trading, then helped Danaher acquire innovative technologies as Director, Corporate Development — Open Innovation. He holds an MBA from Pace University's Lubin School of Business and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University.
Founder of Encounter Strategies, Sean is a seasoned consultant with experience supporting organizations with strategic planning and large-scale transformation. Current and past clients include private sector firms ranging in size from $1M+ to $1B+. He has created numerous strategic plans for professional services firms, tech companies, non-profits, and government agencies, helping them define objectives and set paths toward accomplishing them.
A serial entrepreneur and senior executive bringing disruptive technologies to market across the telecom, wireless, satellite, alternative energy, and cybersecurity industries, with senior marketing leadership at MCI, US West Cellular, and McCaw Cellular/AT&T Wireless. As President of Manich Strategic, Helen has developed go-to-market strategies for companies including Vonage, Telstra, Columbia Energy, Xtreme Spectrum (acquired by Motorola), Tenzing (acquired by Boeing), and over 200 start-ups. She serves on the selection committee for the Halcyon Incubator in Washington, DC.
President and team leader with 20+ years of marketing experience, Kathryn specializes in marketing plans, content strategies, and outreach campaigns that have helped clients acquire thousands of sales leads. Before founding Market Wise she was president of newsletter publisher InformAction and marketing director for the National Association of Realtors. Kathryn holds an MBA in marketing from Virginia Tech and a BS in Business, magna cum laude, from the University of Maryland.
Mr. Miller has an extensive record of growing value at technology-based enterprises — from privately held start-ups to intrapreneurial units in large corporations. As CEO he generated significant investor value at Software AG and executed turnarounds at Cortex Corporation and Linus Technologies, and as Vice President at Verizon he headed development and deployment of the $1B systems supporting local competition under the 1996 Telecommunications Reform Act. He has testified before Congressional subcommittees and served on President Reagan's OMB Information Technology Advisory Committee.
Maury recently completed five years as Dean of Business at George Mason University. An authority on change, talent, and leadership across markets and borders, his books include the market-leading Managing Change (McGraw-Hill) and The Handbook of Career Studies (Sage). He previously served as Dean of Cranfield School of Management (UK), Associate Dean at London Business School, and Professor at IMD (Switzerland). Maury holds a BS in Engineering from Princeton and an MBA and PhD from Harvard.
An educator, entrepreneur, and consultant with more than 40 years' experience assisting new business ventures, Jim serves as Associate Professor and Entrepreneur in Residence at the George Mason University School of Business and has consulted to USAID, the World Bank, the German Finance Ministry, and private sector investors throughout Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. Jim co-founded WorthPoint Corporation and FirstGuard Technologies Corporation. He holds JD, MBA, and BS degrees, all from Indiana University.
Think Big.
Alpha Endeavour: the leading commercialization platform for deep technology emerging from America's research ecosystems.