How do you transition from skin-in-the-game to securing milestone-driven investment for a capital-intensive startup?

In this episode of Experienced Voices, Kevin A. Damoa, Founder of Glīd Technologies, breaks down the blueprint for building hard tech.

What we discuss:

• The Breakthrough: Solving the century-old road-to-rail problem with autonomous, dual-mode physical infrastructure and AI orchestration software.
• The Journey: From the first concept and clearing major hurdles to establishing proof of market and preparing for rigorous due diligence.
• The Blueprint: How Kevin marshaled his SpaceX and combat logistics experience to become venture-ready, leverage SDVOSB programs, and scale a lean team.
• The Payoff: Winning TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, maximizing social/environmental impact, and the #1 mistake first-time entrepreneurs must avoid.

About Kevin A. Damoa

Founder & CEO, Glīd Technologies

Kevin A. Damoa is a veteran logistics executive and systems engineer who has spent over two decades advancing mobility technology across aerospace, defense, and electric vehicles.

Today, he is the Founder and CEO of Glīd Technologies, an autonomous road-to-rail freight company that won the prestigious 2025 TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield. Utilizing a patented dual-mode vehicle system and AI logistics orchestration software, Glīd bridges the century-old operational gap between road and rail for commercial freight and national defense.

Damoa’s operational discipline was forged during 12 years of military service. Enlisting in the U.S. Army at seventeen, he completed two combat tours in Iraq with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, managing high-stakes railhead logistics in theater.

In 2012, he joined SpaceX as Flight Module Logistics Manager, where he designed and deployed the critical transport apparatus used to move rockets from production to the launch pad. Following a tenure at Northrop Grumman as an Integration Program Manager on the F-35 program, he held senior manufacturing, supply chain, and operating leadership roles across a generation of clean-mobility trailblazers, including Romeo Power, Xos Trucks, Canoo, and Serial 1 (a Harley-Davidson brand).

A certified Service-Disabled Veteran entrepreneur, Damoa holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA in Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management.

When we talk about the future of global conflict, we are no longer just talking about hardware, troops, or physical borders. We are talking about data, predictive mathematics, and decision speed.

Artificial intelligence has fundamentally rewritten the rules of engagement, blurring the lines between national security and global finance. They are no longer separate areas of concern—they are deeply interconnected.

In this episode of Experienced Voices, we sit down with former Intelligence Officer Dr. Anthony Vinci, the founder and CEO of VICO. VICO is a venture-backed AI company pioneering the groundbreaking field of 'Decision Intelligence.'

Using advanced mathematics and AI, VICO quantifies, simulates, and forecasts complex political, geopolitical, and economic event risks in real time. Dr. Vinci breaks down the massive implications this new capability has for our country's national security, global markets, and the future of global stability.

Tune in to hear a critical, must-listen message for the next generation of entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers on their vital role in protecting America's economic and national security in the AI era.

Key Takeaways From This Episode:

• The Shift in Global Conflict: Why data and decision speed have replaced traditional hardware on the front lines.
• What is Decision Intelligence?: How VICO uses advanced math to simulate and forecast geopolitical and economic risks in real time.
• The Intersection of Capital & Defense: Why global finance and national security are now deeply intertwined.
• A Call to Action: The critical role today’s innovators and investors play in protecting economic and national defense.

About the Guest:

Dr. Anthony Vinci is an Intelligence Officer, tech founder, and the CEO of VICO, a venture-backed AI company at the forefront of Decision Intelligence.

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Raj Singh is the Vice President of Product at Mozilla, leading new product initiatives. He joined Mozilla in 2022 via the acquisition of his startup, Pulse, which developed AI meeting-summarization models.

He was previously Co-Founder and CEO of Tempo AI, a smart calendar acquired by Salesforce in 2015. He also co-founded AllTheCooks, which became the largest recipe community on Android before its acquisition by Cookpad. Earlier in his career, he served as VP of Business Development at Skyfire, a mobile browser acquired by Opera.

As a 4x-exited VC-backed Founder, he has led products from 0 to millions in users and revenue across consumer and SaaS domains. His broad technology and product background spans product monetization, product-led growth, go-to-market adoption, system roadmaps for scale, AI-native products for small and midsize businesses, and the building and scaling of SaaS products and organizations.

Raj turns ideas or early product momentum into repeatable growth, aligning product, growth, and GTM to drive adoption, retention, and revenue.

Currently, he focuses on AI-native products for SMBs and how AI reshapes product development, growth, and teams.