From Tickets to Autonomy: Reinventing IT with AI Agents | The Pair Program Ep87

On today’s episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Jake Stauch, Founder & CEO of Serval, and Patrick Chase, Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures, for a deep dive into the future of IT service management. The conversation explores why legacy ITSM tools are breaking under modern demands, how AI-native automation is changing the way work actually gets done, and what it takes to build and back a category-defining infrastructure company.

What we cover:

1. Why ITSM remains painfully manual, and where automation truly breaks through
2. Building AI agents that don’t just assist, but take action
3. Code generation as the next platform shift in enterprise software
4. What investors look for in next-gen infrastructure startups
5. How timing, models, and product vision intersect in AI adoption

About Patrick Chase: Patrick is a Managing Director at Redpoint Ventures, where he focuses on infrastructure, SaaS, and AI. He has been at Redpoint for over seven years and works closely with companies including Modal, Serval, LiveKit, Hex, Attio, MotherDuck, and Zed.

About Jake Stauch: Jake is the Founder and CEO of Serval, an AI-driven IT automation and service management platform. Before founding Serval, he spent more than five years at Verkada, leading products from early concept through launch and scaling efforts across hardware and software, operating at the intersection of product, operations, and AI-powered infrastructure.

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Mission Modernized: How AI is Reshaping Intelligence from the Inside Out | The Pair Program Ep86

On today’s episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Sheetal Patel, former CIA Assistant Director for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center, and Bruce Frost, Vice President of Intelligence at Rhombus Power, to discuss how AI is reshaping modern intelligence. With decades of experience across government and industry, they break down what it really takes to modernize analysis, move faster in high-stakes environments, and build trust in emerging technologies.

What we cover in this episode:

1. How AI is transforming open-source intelligence
2. Predictive models and threat forecasting
3. Bias and transparency in AI systems
4. Public-to-private sector career transitions
5. Innovation inside national security missions

About Sheetal Patel: Sheetal is a former CIA senior executive with 28 years of service across national security and intelligence. She served as Assistant Director for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center, where she built and led a new team focused on emerging technologies. She also previously held the role of Assistant Director for CIA for Counterintelligence.

About Bruce Frost: Bruce joined Rhombus Power in September 2022, where he serves as Vice President of Intelligence. Prior to joining Rhombus Power, Bruce was a senior executive at CIA where he held a variety of leadership roles including Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Operations.

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Feeding the Beam: Powering Directed Energy & Counter-UAS | The Pair Program Ep85

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Adam Warmoth, Founder & CEO of Chariot Defense, and Michael LaFramboise, CEO & Co-Founder of Aurelius Systems, for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked constraints in modern warfare: power. Together, they explore how energy, autonomy, and cost collide at the tactical edge, and why rethinking power systems is critical for counter-UAS, directed energy weapons, and future defense stacks. The conversation blends real-world demos, lessons from commercial tech, and candid insights on what it actually takes to deploy hardware that works beyond day one.

We dive into:

1. Why power, not software, is the real bottleneck at the edge
2. The economics of lasers vs. missiles for counter-drone defense
3. Batteries as power, not just energy storage
4. Lessons defense can borrow from EVs, automotive, and industrial tech
5. Scaling hardware from demo to sustained deployment

About Adam Warmoth: Adam is Founder & CEO of Chariot Defense, building edge-deployable power systems for modern battlefields. Former engineering leader at Anduril Industries, with experience spanning counter-UAS, robotics, AI, and sensor fusion. Previously worked on advanced electric power systems at Archer Aviation, Uber Elevate, and Kitty Hawk. Stanford-trained engineer focused on bringing commercial-grade power tech into defense.

About Michael LaFramboise: Michael is CEO & Co-Founder of Aurelius Systems, developing autonomous laser platforms to defeat drones at radically lower cost. Brings a rare mix of experience across automotive manufacturing, high-power laser systems, and defense sales. His team’s flagship system, Archimedes, combines AI, sensors, and directed energy to neutralize drones in seconds—turning electricity into ammunition.

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How We Hatched: Luigi Lenguito, Founder & CEO of BforeAI

In this How We Hatched episode, we sit down with Luigi Lenguito, Founder & CEO of BforeAI, to explore the thinking behind predictive cybersecurity. Luigi shares what convinced him the industry was too focused on reacting to attacks—and why stopping threats before they happen is the real challenge ahead. We talk about building a company around a contrarian idea, lessons from scaling inside big tech, and the mindset shift required to rethink security from the ground up.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

1. Why “detect and respond” isn’t enough anymore
2. How predictive security changes the cyber playbook
3. Founder lessons that don’t translate from big tech
4. The growing impact of fraud and impersonation attacks

About Luigi Lenguito: Luigi is the Founder & CEO of BforeAI, where he leads the company’s vision and strategy around predictive cybersecurity. With over 30 years of experience across IT operations, M&A, and cybersecurity, Luigi founded BforeAI after recognizing the need to move from reactive defense to preemptive security. Today, he is focused on advancing behavioral predictive analytics to help organizations stay ahead of cyber threats—before they happen. Exploring your next tech role? Get insider job advice and the latest startup & govtech openings – delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe here: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/

From Open Source to Open Skies: Why Sapphire Ventures Backed Defense Unicorns | The Pair Program Ep84

In this episode of The Pair Program, we sit down with Rob Slaughter, CEO of Defense Unicorns, and Jai Das, President, Partner, and Co-Founder at Sapphire Ventures, for a deep dive into what it takes to modernize defense software—and why a leading enterprise VC made its first-ever bet in defense tech. The conversation explores how open source is reshaping national security, what scalable government software really requires, and why contrarian investment decisions often lead to the biggest breakthroughs.

Key topics include:

1. Rebuilding the U.S. military’s software backbone
2. Open source as a strategic advantage in defense
3. Bootstrapping to scale before taking venture capital
4. Why Sapphire Ventures invested in defense for the first time
5. The future of defense tech and government software innovation

About Rob Slaughter: Rob made a name for himself in the defense tech community leading a variety of software development teams within the Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense, including as director of the DOD’s DevSecOps platform team, Platform One. Now, since leaving the military, he’s CEO of Defense Unicorns, a company that delivers that same secure software development for mission-focused organizations.

About Jai Das: Jai is President, Partner, and Co-Founder at Sapphire Ventures, investing in growth-stage startups building category-defining enterprise technology. With 15+ years of experience, he has backed companies like Glean, Cohesity, ThoughtSpot, CircleCI, and Defense Unicorns, with 15+ IPOs and 20+ acquisitions across his portfolio. He is a recognized voice in AI and enterprise tech, frequently featured in top media and speaking at major industry conferences. His focus areas include AI/ML, data, security, DevOps, open source, and crypto.

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Securing the Supply Web: From the Global Network to the Tactical Edge | The Pair Program Ep83

In Episode 83, Tim Winkler and Sean Leahy talk with Peter Goldsborough, Co-Founder and CTO of Rune Technologies, and Evan Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of Altana, about how AI and modern data systems are reshaping defense logistics. They explore the disconnect between global supply networks and frontline sustainment, the realities of operating in disconnected environments, and why visibility and trust are now core to readiness. A concise look at the technologies and decisions that keep missions moving.

What we cover in this episode:

1. Why logistics often determines mission success
2. Global supply chain visibility through the Product Network
3. The spreadsheet reality of military logistics today
4. Edge-first software for contested, low-connectivity environments
5. Public–private collaboration to strengthen readiness
6. Understanding both friendly and adversary supply chains

About Evan Smith: Evan Smith is the Co-Founder and CEO of Altana, the world’s Product Network, an AI-powered network connecting global businesses, suppliers, logistics providers, and governments. He has founded and led companies across supply chain, clean tech, and data, and holds a degree in Economics from Yale University.

About Peter Goldsborough: Peter Goldsborough is the Co-Founder and CTO of Rune Technologies. Before launching Rune, he served as a core developer on Facebook’s PyTorch team, worked on real-time data systems, and helped build Anduril’s machine learning platform while leading software engineering across key defense programs.

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Runtime Confidence Meets Real-World Adoption: How AI Is Transforming Traditional Industries | The Pair Program Ep82

In this episode, Tim Winkler and Mike Gruen sit down with Kevin McGrath, Co-Founder and CEO of Meibel, and Rob Murray, Founder and CEO of SpecBooks, to unpack what it actually takes to move AI from impressive prototypes to dependable, production-ready systems. They dig into the challenges of unstructured data, the real meaning of runtime confidence, and why human-in-the-loop workflows lead to higher accuracy, not job displacement. Through the Meibel–SpecBooks case study, the group breaks down the results, the pitfalls, and the surprising upside of scaling AI in fast-moving, real-world environments.

Here’s What We Get Into:

• Why most generative AI projects never make it to production
• How runtime confidence is measured and why it matters
• Turning thousands of messy PDFs into structured, reliable outputs
• Human-in-the-loop systems that boost performance instead of replacing teams
• The business impact: 250–300% win-rate lift + 75% faster workflows
• What founders should know before scaling AI across their product

About Kevin McGrath: Kevin brings over 25 years of experience across startups and enterprise technology, with deep expertise in infrastructure, cloud optimization, and developer platforms. Before founding Meibel, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Spot by NetApp, following his earlier role as CTO where he led engineering and product during a period of rapid growth in cloud automation. Throughout his career, he has held senior technical leadership roles focused on building scalable systems and high-performing teams.

About Rob Murray: Rob Murray is the Founder and CEO of SpecBooks, a platform he has led since launching the company in 2011. He brings more than 14 years of experience building digital tools for the construction and design industry. Rob holds a degree in Marketing and Finance from the University of Florida and previously gained entrepreneurial experience as a part owner of Ezell’s Restaurant in Alabama.

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Supply Chain at Escape Velocity: How InnoFlight and Verigon Are Scaling Secure Space System for the SDA Era | The Pair Program Ep81

In this episode, Tim Winkler and co-host Mike Gruen sit down with Jeffrey Janicik of Innoflight and Greg Davis of Verigon to explore what it really takes to scale secure space systems fast—and without sacrificing quality. They dive into the rise of small-sat architectures, the push for higher-volume production, and why cybersecurity must be designed into hardware from day one. Through the Innoflight–Verigon partnership, they unpack how trust, communication, and rigorous testing enable teams to deliver mission-critical electronics that are ready for orbit.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How small, secure, low-SWaP electronics support modern satellite architectures
• Why proliferated constellations require speed, volume, and resiliency
• How Innoflight and Verigon scaled from boards to full system-level builds
• What makes a manufacturing partner truly “mission-ready”
• Why cyber protection must be built into hardware from the start

About Jeffrey Janicik: Mr. Jeffrey Janicik is the Founder of Innoflight, specializing in secure, high-performance space electronics. With decades of service in the Air Force, he helped pioneer unmanned X-vehicles and contributed to establishing the U.S. Space Force. He founded Innoflight after leading NASA’s first internet-based satellite mission and continues to drive innovation in small satellites, cyber, and space networking.

About Greg Davis: Greg Davis has 30+ years in electronic contract manufacturing across aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. As VP at Verigon, he has led major growth, expanded manufacturing capacity, and broadened the company’s customer base into top-tier defense and space programs. He previously held roles at Unisys, Litton, ITT Cannon, Sanmina-SCI, and NeoTech.

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