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General (Retired) Jim Mingus is a Venture Partner at Scout Ventures and the former 39th Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He retired in February 2026 after more than 44 years in uniform, concluding a career that began with his enlistment in the Iowa National Guard and culminated as the Army’s second-ranking officer.

As Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, General Mingus supervised the day-to-day management of a force of approximately one million active-duty, National Guard, Reserve, and civilian personnel and helped oversee a $197 billion annual budget. His responsibilities spanned Army readiness, modernization priorities, force management, and the Army’s acquisition portfolio.

Over his career, General Mingus deployed 12 times, commanded the 82nd Airborne Division, and served in senior joint-force leadership roles, including Director for Operations of the Joint Staff and Director of the Joint Staff. His experience provides a rare, firsthand understanding of how the Department of War, the Army, and the joint force identify requirements, evaluate emerging capabilities, resource priorities, and bring critical technology into operational use.

At Scout Ventures, General Mingus counsels portfolio companies on defense go-to-market strategy, requirements development, acquisition timelines, and business development. He also advises the firm on Department of War, Army, and joint-force matters, helping founders navigate the path from a compelling prototype to a funded, fielded capability for the servicemembers who need it.

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The Honorable Kenneth J. Braithwaite of Pennsylvania served as the 77th Secretary of the Navy from 2020 to 2021.  He was the first Navy flag officer (admiral) to become a confirmed Secretary of the Navy. Previously, he served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway where he strengthened bilateral relations, especially on defense with emphasis on the Arctic. Braithwaite was born in Livonia, Michigan and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984. Earning his Wings of Gold as a Naval Aviator, he flew P-3 Orions tracking adversary submarines in the Pacific and Arctic. Redesignated a public affairs officer, he served aboard USS America, Carrier Group 2, and Striking Force 6th Fleet. After serving as Chief of Public Affairs at the Philadelphia Naval Base, Braithwaite joined the Naval Reserve in 1993. In 1995, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He continued his Navy service and commanded Navy Combat Camera Atlantic, where he deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Later, he became the first commander of the Joint Public Affairs Support Element-Joint Forces Command, where he deployed for disaster relief in Pakistan. He was promoted to Rear Admiral in 2007 and served as the first Vice Chief of Information until retiring from the Navy in 2011. In the private sector, he has held executive roles in the healthcare and petroleum industries. While serving as Secretary of the Navy, Braithwaite orchestrated the first-ever TriService Maritime Strategy aligning the Navy, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard with the National Defense Strategy. Moreover, he led the Department through COVID-19, maintaining readiness while protecting the service personnel. He also produced the first-ever US Navy Strategy for the Arctic. Finally, he stressed the importance of culture, strengthening the Navy’s ties to its history by supporting a new National Museum of the United States Navy and naming the new Constellation-class frigates after the U.S. Navy’s first frigates. Since leaving office, Ambassador Braithwaite has been working with Silicon Valley Bank, Kongsberg Defence and Summa Equity, an ESG PE company, as a senior advisor. He is also on the board of Tritium, LTD, a publicly traded company producing the next generation of EV chargers and Atom Computing, one of the leading technologies in quantum computing. He also serves as a Fellow of the NATO School, Oberammergau, Germany, and as an Adjunct Professor at Kristiania University in Oslo, Norway.

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A seasoned executive and leader, Kopra is CEO of Starlab and Nanoracks (part of Voyager’s Exploration Segment). Previously, he served as President of OneWeb Technologies, Vice President of Robotics and Space Operations at MDA, and Founder and Partner of Blue Bear Capital. Prior to his work in the private sector, Tim spent 18 years as a NASA astronaut. While at NASA, Tim lived and worked on the International Space Station, completing two spaceflights and three spacewalks over the span of eight months. In 2016, Tim served as the ISS Commander for Expedition 47. Tim served in the U.S. Army for 25 years as an Army aviator and experimental test pilot. During his military career, he was deployed to Operations Desert Shield and Storm, commanded an AH-64 Attack Helicopter Company, and served as the Developmental Test Director for the Army’s Comanche Program until his assignment to NASA. Tim earned his Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and London Business School.

Troy is a 1993 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and then served as an Army Aviator for nearly 8 years.  He has over 30 years of extensive international commercial and defense-related aviation and finance experience.  After serving in various roles at Northwest Airlines, Mesa Airlines and GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS), Troy moved to Abu Dhabi and served as a Senior Advisor for Mubadala Aerospace.  He led the launch of Sanad Capital as the CEO in 2009 and then led the integration and launch of the Sanad Group as the Group CEO in 2019.  The group's leasing and MRO divisions have grown to over $1B in assets and revenues globally.  Troy is no stranger to Scout, as he is currently working with several PortCo's, including De-Ice and GelSight.

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