Founder · Former CEO · Strategic Advisor

Built on Experience.
Focused on What's Next.

For 30 years, I've worked across military operations, defense, intelligence, technology, and business. I've built and led organizations, developed advanced capabilities, established partnerships, and secured and delivered complex programs. My work in AI, machine learning, and computer vision dates to 2014. Today, I use that combined experience to help organizations evaluate opportunities, define viable products, and move from strategy to execution.

Portrait of Derek Aultman
Derek Aultman
Principal, VetDS
Veteran Data SolutionsLeadership · Technology · ExecutionScroll to explore ↓
01 / A record of execution

A career spent building, leading, and delivering.

My background combines operational responsibility, company leadership, technology development, and commercial execution. I've worked across these areas directly, and I bring that experience to the opportunities I evaluate today.

30Years across operations, technology, and business
$500M+Contracts and programs secured and delivered across my career
240+Customer engagements during VetDS company leadership
22Patent filings associated with R&D and product development
Background

Experience across operations, technology, and business.

My career began in U.S. Air Force special operations aviation. As an MH-53 PAVE LOW aerial gunner and Current Operations NCOIC, I worked across mission planning, readiness, and operational support, including coordination involving more than 220 personnel and 26 aircraft. It was a demanding environment that taught me the importance of preparation, capable teams, and execution.

After the military, I moved into enterprise technology, federal markets, business development, and solution architecture. I founded Veteran Data Solutions in 2008 and spent the next sixteen years building the business, developing customer relationships, establishing partnerships, and leading technical and operational teams. The company grew to 42 people and supported more than 240 customer engagements. Across my career, I've secured and delivered more than $500 million in contracts and programs.

I began working with AI, machine learning, and computer vision in 2014. My involvement has included building teams, guiding R&D and product development, and working to connect these technologies to real operational needs. That work contributed to an intellectual property portfolio involving 22 patent filings. I understand the distance between an impressive technical demonstration and a capability that can be funded, integrated, supported, and used.

Today, I work with founders, executives, investors, technologists, and government leaders to evaluate opportunities, challenge assumptions, define viable products, identify customers and partners, and establish practical paths to validation, funding, adoption, and deployment. I am particularly interested in the early decisions that determine whether an idea becomes a viable business or operational capability.

02 / Where I contribute

Where experience can make a difference.

I bring experience across strategy, technology, markets, and delivery. The value is in understanding how those decisions connect—not treating each as a separate service.

01

Executive & strategic advisory

Advice informed by founding and operating a company, leading teams, securing programs, working with customers, and managing the tradeoffs that come with growth and delivery.

02

AI, emerging technology & product strategy

AI/ML and computer vision experience dating to 2014, combined with technology assessment, product definition, customer evidence, technical feasibility, competitive and IP considerations, and development and commercialization pathways.

03

Partnerships & market development

Identifying customers, sponsors, strategic partners, and practical paths into government and commercial markets, including relevant acquisition and funding mechanisms.

04

Leadership & execution strategy

Turning a concept into a defined capability, a realistic development plan, clear investment decisions, and a credible path toward customer adoption and delivery.

03 / Selected experience

Experience across operations, technology, and company leadership.

Dec 1996–Jul 2006

U.S. Air Force · Special Operations Aviation

MH-53 PAVE LOW aerial gunner and Current Operations NCOIC. Supported combat, contingency, humanitarian, and national-level missions; coordinated operational readiness for more than 220 personnel and 26 aircraft; and supported mission-critical C4ISR integration.

Jun 2006–Jun 2007

NetApp · Federal Sales & Solution Support

Federal and commercial business development, partner engagement, solution positioning, and enterprise storage and data-management technologies.

Jan 2007–Dec 2008

FCN · U.S. Public Sector Account Executive & Solution Architect

Led business development and solution architecture across DoD, intelligence, civilian, and commercial markets, including data center, cloud, continuity-of-operations, and geospatial intelligence solutions.

Jun 2008–Dec 2024

Veteran Data Solutions · Founder & CEO

Founded and grew a 42-person company, supported more than 240 customer engagements, and led advanced technology and intelligence capabilities. From 2014, guided AI/ML and computer vision initiatives, R&D, multidisciplinary teams, strategic partnerships, and product development. Career-wide contracts and programs secured and delivered exceed $500M.

Jan 2025–Present

VetDS · Principal, Defense Technology & Product Strategy

Independent strategic advisory across opportunity assessment, emerging technology and product viability, customer and market validation, partnerships, acquisition pathways, and practical execution planning.

04 / A disciplined approach

From technical capability to viable product.

Technical feasibility is only one part of product viability. My framework connects mission need, customer evidence, differentiation, development, capital, acquisition, and transition before significant resources are committed.

Discuss the approach ↗
THE CAPABILITY-TO-PRODUCT PATH
01
Vision
Clarify the problem
Mission need, user, environment, intended outcome
02
Validate
Test the opportunity
Customer evidence, market, feasibility, alternatives
03
Define
Shape the product
Solution path, scope, differentiation, end-state capability
04
Architect
Plan execution
Architecture, portfolio, resources, funding, decision gates
05
Prove
Retire key risk
Prototype, test critical assumptions, demonstrate value
06
Productize
Prepare for use
Integration, security, reliability, support, sustainment
07
Transition
Reach operations
Sponsorship, acquisition, validation, deployment, scale
FOUR CONNECTED LENSES
Product + Technology
What should be built?
Scope, architecture, feasibility, integration
Market + Customer
Who needs it?
Mission value, users, demand, alternatives
Business + Acquisition
How will it be funded and bought?
Capital, SBIR/STTR, BAA, OTA, sponsorship
Transition + Scale
How does it reach operations?
Validation, deployment, sustainment, repeatability
DECISION DISCIPLINEAdvance only when the evidence supports the next investment of time, people, and capital.PROCEED / REFINE / STOP
Download the full executive framework ↓
05 / What's next

Let's discuss what you're working to build.

I'm open to select advisory engagements, executive leadership opportunities, and partnerships where my experience can help move a difficult problem or promising capability toward a practical outcome. If you're exploring an opportunity, I'd welcome a conversation.

Connect on LinkedIn ↗