Disruptive

Ian Winer is the founder of Center15 Capital, a private investment firm focused on defense technology companies. He is a West Point graduate (class of 1996) with 22 years of experience as a portfolio manager in public equities, and has advised multiple veteran-owned Wall Street firms. Winer is also an author and serves on the board of Wolf Rescue: Apex Protection Project.

Thomas Blake is Director of Tennis Performance at Saddlebrook Resort. He serves on the boards of the James Blake Foundation and the Avila Charity Tennis Tournament. Blake resides in Tampa with his wife Caroline and their daughter.

Brody Howatt is an advisor at MyHockeyIQ and a West Point graduate with an engineering degree who served five years in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has raised over $300,000 for veteran charities focused on PTSD through organized dodgeball tournaments.

Charlie Moore is a retired Lieutenant General of the United States Air Force who served 33 years in military command and staff positions, including as Deputy Commander and Director of Operations at US Cyber Command. His operational experience spans cyber defense operations, offensive cyber capabilities, and multi-domain strategy, with involvement in critical infrastructure protection, election security, and responses to major cyber incidents including SolarWinds and Log4j. Moore currently serves as a Board Member and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Vanderbilt University and is a member of the Defense Science Board.

Joseph Selden is Director of Finance Operations at Disruptive, where he works with the founder and executive team on financial strategy, portfolio company engagement, and data-driven decision-making. He holds a Finance degree from the University of Massachusetts Isenberg School of Management and spent three years at State Street in middle office and trade operations roles before joining Disruptive in 2021.

Natasha Ahmed is a Senior Advisor at TRENDS Research & Advisory with background in economics, investing, and defense strategy. She has worked in the deep tech and defense innovation sectors, including roles at H4xLabs focused on dual-use technologies and space capabilities, at Disruptive as a portfolio manager for space and autonomy investments, and at Epirus on corporate development for electronic warfare and power systems. Her experience spans defense policy, SBIR/STTR pathways, and technology commercialization across the U.S. defense ecosystem, along with prior consulting work in Washington, D.C. and technology analysis in Asia.

Nick Kaldis is a Senior Associate Banker at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where he serves family offices, financial professionals, and clients in the legal and medical sectors. He coordinates specialist teams across credit, lending, investing, and estate planning to provide clients with access to the bank's global resources and alternative investment platforms. Based in the Houston area, Kaldis works with clients on wealth management and financial planning matters.

Raaj Parikh is an Assistant Controller at Optiver with over 15 years of experience in financial control roles across Big 4 firms, technology companies, public companies, high-growth organizations, and venture capital. His background includes financial reporting, budgeting, risk management, internal controls, SOX compliance, and process optimization.

Sara Khalafi is Head of Investor Relations at Disruptive, a global investment firm specializing in late-stage private technology companies. In this role, she manages fundraising strategy, capital formation, and investor relations with family offices, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional investors across the U.S., Middle East, and international markets, while overseeing operational infrastructure development. Previously, she worked on the investment team at a multi-billion-dollar single-family office conducting investment analysis and portfolio reporting, and holds a degree from University of California, Irvine.

Shelby Johnston is Chief of Staff at SIG Partners. With over nine years of experience, Johnston has supported founders and executives across private equity, venture capital, healthcare consulting, and founder-led companies, progressing from Executive Assistant roles to Chief of Staff positions focused on strategic execution and operational improvement.