As 2021 nears its close, our team at Scout wants to take a moment to recognize the steps we’ve made to expand our exclusive networks, grow our team, and execute our mission of making the world a better, safer place. This year has been full of benchmarks that will help us empower veteran entrepreneurs and ensure the safety and security of all Americans.

We’re thrilled to announce that former U.S. Secretary of the Army, Ryan D. McCarthy is joining Scout Ventures as a Venture Partner, effective immediately. The addition of McCarthy to our team allows us to leverage his exclusive government networks, intelligence, and leadership that will serve our mission and help veteran entrepreneurs get the funding, mentorship, and support needed at this critical time in world history.

To retain the technological hegemony of the United States, it’s imperative that the public and private sectors have a complementary relationship as it relates to innovation. For us, this means cultivating deep relationships within government and defense who can give veteran entrepreneurs the tools, networks, and funding they need to succeed. McCarthy’s presence at Scout will embolden our government contacts and knowledge, and help us grow our portfolio of frontier and dual-use technology companies. Today, we extend a warm welcome to a fellow veteran and leader who shares our values, commitment, and vision for the future.

In conjunction with McCarthy, we’re excited to announce two more strategic hires— the addition of Sam Ellis as a Partner and Stephen DiBartolomeo as an Associate. Sam and Stephen have been working tirelessly with our team over the past year, and each brings hard technical knowledge and entrepreneurial experience in both government and civilian worlds.

Sam Ellis is a West Point Graduate, a National Science Foundation Fellow, and spent several years at U.S. Cyber Command. Following his service, Sam built early-stage software companies, co-founding the unicorn Dutchie. Sam’s nuanced technical prowess and investment knowledge will help scale and guide portfolio companies. Sam’s boots-on-the-ground approach to working with founders gives us refined confidence when moving into new verticals of deep tech.

Stephen DiBartolomeo served as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer and worked for the NSA after graduating from the Naval Academy, where he also taught cyber science as an adjunct professor. After the Navy, Stephen co-founded Chiplytics, a hardware security company focused on semiconductor authentication and analysis. Personally, we’d like to congratulate Stephen on his recent move to Austin, Texas— where he joins Brad in America’s new innovation hub.

Adding Ryan, Sam, and Stephen to our team gives Scout a strategic advantage over other firms that lack access to the privileged information available to service academy graduates and ex-operators. As we look ahead into 2022, Scout remains steadfast in our mission. Growing our team with these veteran hires allows us to ensure that the United States can lead the way in making the world a safer, more secure place where innovation creates peace of mind and prosperity for all.