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Forrest Underwood

Investor

Operating Advisor / Defense Tech Advisory Board at Bessemer Venture Partners · AIN Venture Partner at ACADEMY INVESTOR · Venture Partner at IronGate Capital Advisors · Venture Partner at AIN Ventures

San Diego, California, United States

Find your path to Forrest

532 people in our graph share verified history with Forrest — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Alex ConstantinopleunlockedForrest: together at Bessemer Venture Partners (2024)
×2Forrest: together at Shield AI
×3Forrest: together at Bessemer Venture Partners
×4Forrest: together at GGV Capital

About

Forrest Underwood is founder and CEO of Evergreen Industries, a defense technology firm focused on product-market fit for national security applications. He serves as Joint Investment Strategies Chief for the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering as an Air Force Reservist, and previously held roles including Technical Evaluation Program Manager for the Department of Defense's COVID-19 Task Force and pilot of the MC-130J and C-130J aircraft across multiple geographic combatant commands. Underwood is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and an MA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and serves on the Board of Trustees for Falcon Foundation.

Experience

  1. Evergreen IndustriesFounder and CEOcurrent2023 — presentSan Diego, California, United States
  2. Office of the Under Secretary of WAR for Research and EngineeringReservist - Chief, Joint Investment Strategiescurrent2024 — presentWashington, District of Columbia, United States
  3. IronGate Capital AdvisorsVenture Partnercurrent2024 — present
  4. The Veteran FundLimited Partnercurrent2024 — present
  5. Bessemer Venture PartnersOperating Advisor / Defense Tech Advisory Boardcurrent2024 — present
  6. AIN VenturesVenture Partnercurrent2020 — present
  7. United States Space ForceReservist - Global Partnerships2024Washington DC-Baltimore Area
  8. True AnomalyChief Growth Officer & Chief Operating Officer2022 — 2023Denver Metropolitan Area
  9. Space Systems CommandReservist - Chief of Commercial Space2020 — 2023Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
  10. Shield AIDirector of Product Management2022Washington, District of Columbia, United States
  11. Shield AIDirector of Strategy (Heron Systems, a Shield AI Company)2021 — 2022Washington DC-Baltimore Area
  12. Shield AIDirector Of Business Development2021San Diego, California, United States
  13. ShiftCo-Founder, Defense Ventures Program2020San Francisco Bay Area
  14. AFWERXEarly Adopter | Tech Evaluator | Special Operations Expert2018 — 2020
  15. United States Department of DefenseCOVID-19 Task Force, Technical Evaluation Program Manager2020
  16. GGV CapitalAir Force Ventures Fellow2020San Francisco Bay Area
  17. Special Operations Command EuropeStrategic Engagements Director2018 — 2020Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  18. Air Force Special Operations CommandMC-130J Evaluator & Instructor Pilot2015 — 201817 SOS - Kadena AB - Okinawa, Japan
  19. George C. Marshall CenterMilitary Fellow2017Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
  20. United States Air ForceC-130J Aircraft Commander2012 — 201537 AS - Ramstein AB, Germany

Skills & more

Forecasting9Contract Negotiation9Business Development12Cross-functional Team Leadership13Strategic Planning for Growth6National Security9Air Force33Defense10International Relations5Hiring4Customer Relationship Management (CRM)4Social Media3
+12 moreLeadership DevelopmentStakeholder EngagementTeam BuildingOrganizational LeadershipTrainingInterviewingIndividual CounsellingWritten CommunicationMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft OfficeEmotional IntelligenceBusiness Networking

Languages English · German

  • Sales Certified - Selling SaaS Solutions — Winning by Design
  • Commercial Aircraft Pilot — Federal Aviation Administration
  • Top Secret / SCI Clearance — United States Department of War

From Forrest's professional profile.

Colleagues at Bessemer Venture Partners

Adam Fisher
Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners
Aditya Nidmarti
Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners
Aia Sarycheva
Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners
Alex Ferrara
Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners
Alex Yuditski
Investor at Bessemer Venture Partners
Alexandra Sukin
Senior Associate at Bessemer Venture Partners
Amit Karp
Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners
Anant Vidur Puri
Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners

Frequently asked questions

Who is Forrest Underwood?
Forrest Underwood is founder and CEO of Evergreen Industries, a defense technology firm focused on product-market fit for national security applications. He serves as Joint Investment Strategies Chief for the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering as an Air Force Reservist, and previously held roles including Technical Evaluation Program Manager for the Department of Defense's COVID-19 Task Force and pilot of the MC-130J and C-130J aircraft across multiple geographic combatant commands. Underwood is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, holds an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and an MA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and serves on the Board of Trustees for Falcon Foundation.
Where does Forrest Underwood work?
Forrest Underwood is Operating Advisor / Defense Tech Advisory Board at Bessemer Venture Partners.
Where did Forrest Underwood go to school?
Forrest Underwood studied at MIT Sloan School of Management (Master of Business Administration - MBA); University of Oklahoma (Master of Arts (M.A.), International Relations and Affairs); United States Air Force Academy (Bachelor of Science, Management).

Same school

Shared employers

Also worked at George C. Marshall Center1

Douglas GriffithsPresident at Oak Foundation