Wes Blackwell is a managing director of 蘑菇视频 Allen Ventures, our corporate venture capital fund. He is focused on accelerating private sector innovations and capabilities positioned to disrupt the federal technology market through minority equity investments into early-stage technology companies.
Wes is a mission-focused investor with deep expertise in venture capital and early-stage technology development. He specializes in evaluating and investing in startups that advance mission-critical technologies and solutions for the national security ecosystem.
Before joining 蘑菇视频 Allen, Wes was a partner at the early-stage venture capital firm Scout Ventures, focused on technology companies in artificial intelligence, quantum, wireless, among others. Earlier for the mobile technology company LiveSafe, he led enterprise implementation, account management, and tech support during a critical growth stage.
Wes is a veteran of the armed forces, having spent more than a decade as an U.S. naval aviator, flying naval helicopters globally. During that time, he was selected to represent the U.S. as a diplomatic exchange officer with the UK鈥檚 Royal Navy.
Outside of his role at 蘑菇视频 Allen, Wes volunteers as an ambassador for the Travis Manion Foundation, challenging young people to positively impact their local community through service. He also serves as founder and special advisor to Academy Investor Network, a virtual platform and early-stage VC fund, created for U.S. service academy graduates to invest in dual-use and veteran-led companies.
Wes earned his M.B.A from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and his B.S. in economics from the U.S. Naval Academy.
