[Editor’s note: “Tech Vets: Profiles in Leadership and Innovation,” is a GeekWire series showcasing U.S. military veterans leading companies within the Pacific Northwest tech industry. The series explores how military experience fosters leadership, resilience, and innovation in tech.]
Jonathan No military family came from, but grew up in New York City, he was deeply affected by the incident on September 7, so he finally joined the US Army by sign up.
Pan at Baruch College in New York was in its second or third week when the attack took place. He finished his studies and entered the officer’s candidate school in the 21st. Washington State Joint Base Lewis – An infantry officer in McCurde, Pan, was deployed in Afghanistan with the 8th striker brigade team of the 2nd infantry department in Afghanistan and served as economic development.
Fifteen years after leaving the army as a captain, the experience of pan is still impacting its current role as his co-founder and chief executive officer Axia LabsThe Seattle-Aria Startup Building AI software is analytical games used to imitate war aspects to improve military wargaming-strategic and strategic decision-making.
The “gaming” aspect of the current work of the pan is compatible with the direction he took after the army and grade school.
“I have been playing games since I was a kid,” he said. “I grew up with PC and online gaming that I started all in Junior Hai. It really hurt my grades at high school and I played a bit in college. I had no time when I was in the military.”
It was not even on the Radar of Pan getting a job in the video game industry. However, during an internship in the riot Games, he discovered how fun it could be and there was the whole business and craft behind the making and sale of games.
Pan said, “It hugs me.”
A few years later he proceeded to start his e-sports team in the name of Ambar, he confirmed that the future was in such entertainment. He even tried to invest in Mark Cuban, no profit. However, experience helped him take the role of a game on Amazon, where he spent four years in California.
After Games’ job jobs in Meta and Walmart, Pan reconnected with a friend with whom he served and chose his brain about defense technology and wargms.
PAN said “It just blown my mind that the military was spending so much time and effort and money on board games to make important decisions,” Pan said.
So in 2024, he returned to the Seattle region he joined forcesSurge KazarA former colleague of the riot Games and founded Axia.
The initial product of startup, BlueVarious AI agents are featured that analyzes documents and automatically automatically automatically (MDMP) It can also mimic potential schemes to perform a mission. A new product called Ricon was published this summer.
In September, Axia won $ 50,000 prizes in the Army Extech AI Grand ChallengeAI processes and principles formal initiatives that increase performance, reduce the cost of life cycle and the effect of the effect throughout the force. The company has collected $ 2.5 million seed rounds earlier this year.
The Pan Defense Department’s Hero Skillbridge program is a big believer in the program, which he said that he had personally used nine junior officers to transfer out of the military in Amazon.
“They are great in solving the problem,” he said. “They just need a chance in a technology organization to prove it”
There is a reward for reconnecting with military communication and innovation for the army, and PAN seems to be part of the mission again.
“It is in the life of a man’s life that it really fires me that it inspires me,” he said.
However, the long sales cycle of the military can be difficult and working in defense is not a prosperous opportunity, according to the pan. If he had to do it again, he would probably start with commercial applications first. Examining where Axia can find it in the market – the possibility of law enforcement or natural disaster.
And he called drone delivery planning “super exciting”, noting that Axia was in talks with Amazon and Walmart, though no official signed.