About
Nelson Ray leads SalesPatriot, which assists manufacturers in responding to Department of Defense contracting opportunities. He has experience in full-stack development and sales.
Founder at SalesPatriotYC W25
Intro paths
YC
Nelson went through Y Combinator (Winter 2025) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
GP
Their group partner at YC was Jared Friedman, General Partner at Y Combinator — the partner who ran SalesPatriot's batch and knows the company first-hand. YC profile ↗
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In turn, Nelson can intro founders to SalesPatriot's investors below.
SalesPatriot's investors · 3
Co-founders at SalesPatriot
BR
Ben Rhodes-KropfFounder
MS
Maciej SzymczykFounder
Experience
- SalesPatriotCo-Founder & CEOcurrent2023 — presentSan Francisco, CA
- National Defense Industrial Association - (NDIA)Membercurrent2025 — present
- Aurora Defense GroupChief of Staff2023 — 2024Aurora, Illinois, United States
- Blue OriginStrategy Consultant2024
- ByDesignCo-Founder & Head of Product2021 — 2023Boston, Massachusetts, United States
- TechstarsAlum | Portfolio Company Founder2022Portland, Maine, United States
- Palmer Hamilton, LLCPhabLab Intern2019Elkhorn, Wisconsin, United States
Education
- UC Berkeley Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) programDual Degree | EECS & Haas School of Business
- Y CombinatorSalesPatriot (YC W25)
- University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of BusinessBachelor of Science - BS, Business Administration
- UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS)Bachelor of Science - BS, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS)
- University of California, BerkeleyM.E.T. Program | Dual-Degree in EE/CS + Haas School of Business
- Elkhorn Area High SchoolValedictorian | 4.0 GPA UW
- Stanford UniversityStanford Summer Quarter, Technology Entrepreneurship - ENGR145
- Gateway Technical CollegeDual-enrollment in Electrical Engineering courses | 60 credits W/ 4.0 GPA
Skills & more
Entrepreneurship9Engineering5Problem Solving6Product Development1
From Nelson's professional profile.
Same school
Also attended UC Berkeley Management, Entrepreneurship, & Technology (M.E.T.) program4
Also attended Y Combinator1,463
Akshat GoenkaInvestor at Moonfire VenturesJon XuGeneral Partner at Y CombinatorTed ChaiAssociate at Scale Venture PartnersLeo LuInvestor at Foundation CapitalMaroof AhmedFounder at Octopus VenturesYusuf SherwaniCo-Founder and CEO at Pelago; a Londoner living in New York City
+ 1,457 more
Also attended UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences (EECS)3
Also attended Stanford University1,726
Peter ThielCo-founder & Partner at Founders FundReid HoffmanCo-founder of LinkedIn; Partner at GreylockDavid SacksCo-founder & General Partner at Craft Ventures; former White House AI & Crypto CzarKeith RaboisManaging Director at Khosla VenturesGarry TanPresident & CEO of Y CombinatorAlfred LinPartner at Sequoia Capital
+ 1,720 more
Shared employers
Also worked at SalesPatriot2
Also worked at National Defense Industrial Association - (NDIA)1
Also worked at Blue Origin8
HariFellow at Clear VenturesMason AngelFounding Partner at Industrious VenturesJordan NooneGeneral Partner at Embedded VenturesDylan TaylorSSV II Investment Committee at Seraphim SpaceRob MeyersonInvestor at C5 CapitalJulia SircarInvestor at E14 Fund
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+ 2 more
Also worked at Techstars379
Brad FeldCo-founder of Foundry and TechstarsRustyAdvisor at Clear VenturesHouman HaghighiPartner, Business & Corporate Development at Menlo VenturesIsabelle StyslingerSenior Associate, Rise of the Rest at RevolutionWesley BarrowPartner at Correlation VenturesJack Bixby LucasGeneral Partner at Lucas Venture Group
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+ 373 more