About
Zach "Jerry" Williams is Head of Operations at Icarus, where he leads strategy including product development and launch, go-to-market, test and evaluation, and compliance. He previously served as a TOPGUN instructor pilot with over 13 years of experience and flew combat missions in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan piloting the F/A-18F.
Founder at IcarusYC F25
Intro paths
YC
Zach went through Y Combinator (Fall 2025) — any YC alum in your network can reach them through the YC community.
GP
Their group partner at YC was Garry Tan, President & CEO of Y Combinator — the partner who ran Icarus's batch and knows the company first-hand. YC profile ↗
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In turn, Zach can intro founders to Icarus's investors below.
Icarus's investors · 11
ACADEMY INVESTORArlingtonAIN VenturesNew York · $500K – $1M checksEntrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)New York · $100K – $2M checksHAWKTAILSan FranciscoMassive Tech VenturesSeattle · since 2025NebularNew York · since 2025Predictive VCNew YorkSoma CapitalSacramento · $100K – $300K checks · since 2025Transpose Platform ManagementHoustonY CombinatorSan Francisco · $500K checks · since 2025Zypsy CapitalSan Francisco · $50K – $400K checks
Co-founders at Icarus
HK
Henry KwanFounder & CEO
CH
Cameron Hargis
Experience
- IcarusHead of Operationscurrent2026 — presentLos Angeles Metropolitan Area
- IcarusDirector of Strategy2026El Segundo, CA
- US NavyDirector of F-35 Readiness Operations2024 — 2026Lemoore Station, California, United States
- US NavyTOPGUN Instructor2021 — 2024Fallon, Nevada, United States
- US NavyFA-18 Pilot2017 — 2021Lemoore Station, California, United States
- US NavyNaval Aviation Pilot Training2013 — 2017
- Fehr & PeersTransportation Planner2012 — 2013Roseville, California, United States
Skills & more
Cross-functional Team Leadership2Strategic Influence2Data Storytelling1Product Management1Operational Planning2Data Visualization1Strategy Alignment1Teaching1Public Policy1Transportation Planning1Consulting1Organizational Alignment1
+1 more
Strategic PlanningFrom Zach's professional profile.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Zach 'Jerry' Williams?
- Zach "Jerry" Williams is Head of Operations at Icarus, where he leads strategy including product development and launch, go-to-market, test and evaluation, and compliance. He previously served as a TOPGUN instructor pilot with over 13 years of experience and flew combat missions in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan piloting the F/A-18F.
- Where does Zach 'Jerry' Williams work?
- Zach 'Jerry' Williams is Founder of Icarus.
- What companies did Zach 'Jerry' Williams found?
- Zach 'Jerry' Williams founded Icarus.
- Where did Zach 'Jerry' Williams go to school?
- Zach 'Jerry' Williams studied at US Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) (TOPGUN Graduate); University of California, Berkeley (Bachelor's degree).
Same school
Also attended US Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN)1
Also attended University of California, Berkeley1,765
Byron DeeterPartner at Bessemer Venture PartnersSteve WozniakCo-founder of AppleTony XuCo-founder & CEO of DoorDashAli GhodsiCo-founder & CEO of DatabricksRyan PetersenFounder & CEO of FlexportDave JohnsonCo-founder & CEO of Dash Bio
+ 1,759 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Icarus1
Also worked at US Navy144
Jeremy KirschOperating Partner at Differential VenturesJim BridenstineManaging Partner, Artemis Group at Cortado VenturesJuliane GallinaPartner at Lavrock VenturesJohn DillonInvestor at Alsop Louie PartnersGlenn VogelVenture Partner at IronGate Capital AdvisorsDavid WhittakerVenture Partner at Elm Street Ventures
+ 138 more