Investing in exceptional entrepreneurs with world-changing ideas.

Our team brings a disciplined approach to the investment process to identify companies with exceptional growth potential. We form close working relationships with the companies we back to help them achieve their critical milestones and frequently take on board seats or formal advisory roles.

Meet the Team

Kelly Perdew, Managing General Partner

Kelly Perdew

Position: Co-Founder & Managing General Partner

Kelly is the Managing General Partner of Moonshots Capital, a Seed stage VC firm that invests in technology companies founded by extraordinary leaders. He has been investing in and advising leading U.S. start-ups since 2004 including LinkedIn (LNKD), Pandora (P), TrueCar (TRUE), Gretel, and ID.me. He has invested in 114 companies, amassing 27 exits and 12 unicorns. 

Kelly is a serial founder and has served in operating roles at 10 early-stage companies. Kelly shares his leadership and operational expertise with the founders he backs to include helping them achieve successful exits. Some of the companies he held board and advisory roles at include Ustream (acquired by IBM), Bitium (acquired by GOOG), eteamz (acquired by ACTV), Harvest.ai (acquired by AMZN), and Scopely (acquired by Savvy Games Group).  

Kelly is an honor graduate (top 5% of his class and #1 in Field of Study) of the US Military Academy at West Point and served as an Army Intelligence Officer before earning joint MBA and JD graduate degrees from UCLA. He completed Army elite training programs – Ranger School and Airborne Training. He is the winner of Season 2 of NBC’s hit show The Apprentice with Donald Trump. Kelly is also a published author, and nationally recognized speaker on leadership, technology, and entrepreneurship. 

Kelly Perdew

Co-Founder & Managing General Partner

Click to read bio >

Craig Cummings

Position: Co-Founder & General Partner

Craig actively invests in technology start-ups, many of which are founded by military veteran entrepreneurs.

Craig’s current and recent board positions include Cartwheel, Copper Labs, Shep (acq by Flight Center) Zabo (acq by Coinbase), Threatcare (acq by Reliaquest), Able, Realize Me, BTS, and Stealth Power, and he serves on the Advisory Boards of VetsInTech, Texas Venture Labs (of the UT McCombs School of Business), and DivInc. He is also the Director of Military and Veteran Affairs for Capital Factory, Austin’s center of gravity for entrepreneurs in Texas.

Craig is the Co-Founder and former Chief Operating Officer of RideScout, a mobile app that showed users how to get from point A to point B by providing real-time ground transportation information. RideScout was acquired by Daimler (maker of Mercedes-Benz) in September 2014.

Before he became an entrepreneur, Craig spent 17 years in the Army, most of that time as an Intelligence Officer serving in support of the National Security Agency (NSA). Craig deployed to Afghanistan with the Joint Special Operations Command where he earned the Bronze Star. He also served as an Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, NY.  Craig received a B.S. in Political Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he was their first Truman Scholar, and he received a Ph.D. in Political Science (minor: Econometrics) from Columbia University in 2005.

In 2015, Craig was selected by HillVets as one of the 100 most influential and impactful veterans in the United States and, in 2016, Inc. Magazine named him as one of the Top 20 Military Veteran Entrepreneurs in the US. In 2022, Craig was selected as one of the Top 100 Entrepreneurs in the country by Alumni Spotlight. Craig is a member of the 2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows with the Aspen Institute. In 2023, he was named a Future Texas Legend Veteran by the Texas Business Hall of Fame.  

Craig is married to Lawton Cummings, a General Partner of the Capital Factory. They have two children, Addison (20) and Cooper (18), and reside in Austin, TX.

Craig Cummings

Co-Founder & General Partner

Click to read bio >

Chris Hoyt

Position: Venture Partner, CFO

Chris Hoyt is a Venture Partner and CFO at Moonshots Capital and is the CEO of KeifeRx, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions.

Chris was previously the Co-Founder and CFO at Upskill, Inc., a software company providing augmented reality solutions for large manufacturers. Upskill raised $65M in venture funding led by NEA and sold to TeamViewer AG in 2021.

Chris has spent the last 10 years in the start-up ecosystem as a serial entrepreneur in the technology and government contracting space and has served on multiple start-up boards.

Chris Hoyt

Venture Partner, CFO

Click to read bio >

Wyman Howard

Position: Advisor

Wyman Howard is a transformational leader with extensive combat mission experience and a proven 32 year record of unparalleled change leadership, creativity and risk mitigation for outcomes of strategic consequence to the security of the United States of America. He is a fourth generation Naval Officer and a 1990 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he was a member of the Navy crew team. A native of Virginia, he is an Alexandria City High School alumnus.

Wyman is a thought leader in sustainability; disruptive technologies; leadership & human capital assessment; performance; retention; inclusivity; and diversity – with relationships and linkages to global business and foreign government military and intelligence service liaison partners. He is deeply experienced and briefed in geo-political risk and opportunities across disruptive technologies – including multi-domain autonomous systems; electronic warfare; cyber threats and risk mitigations; and commercial, civil, and military & intelligence space sector applications.

A retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half) with over 32 years in the SEAL Teams and joint special operations, Wyman commanded at all levels of Special Operations, including service as Commander Naval Special Warfare Command, Special Operations Command Central, and Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He has distinctive leadership experience at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of joint, intelligence, interagency and foreign partner operations.

He had multiple tours in command of Special Operations Joint Task Forces and was among the first to deploy into Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, 2001. The combat contributions of the teams he commanded, and with whom he served, were recognized with five Presidential Unit Citations, Navy Unit Commendation and four Joint Meritorious Unit Awards.
Wyman’s joint, interagency and policy staff experience includes service as the second Director of Operations for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; Deputy Director for Global Operations, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff; and Director for Counterterrorism Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

He holds a Master of Business Administration from the TRIUM consortium of the London School of Economics, HEC Paris School of Management, and New York University’s Stern School of Business; a Master of Science in National Security and Resource Strategy with a focus on space from the Eisenhower School, where he earned three Commandant’s awards for excellence in writing; and a Professional Certificate in Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His professional military education also includes the Naval War College, Joint Special Operations University, and the Defense Language Institute.

He is a Senior Advisor with McKinsey & Company across their global sustainability practice. He is an active volunteer within the community, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and an Eagle Scout.

Wyman Howard

Advisor

Click to read bio >

Farah Daou

Position: Senior Associate

Farah is a Senior Associate at Moonshots Capital – a venture capital fund that invests in early-stage technology companies and leans in heavily in veteran founded companies.

Prior to Moonshots Capital, she was an Associate at VU Venture Partners, a multi-stage venture capital fund focusing on Consumer, Enterprise, FinTech / Blockchain, HealthTech, Frontier Tech, and Real Estate Tech.

Farah’s passion for entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem began while working at an investment bank, helping advise companies in the Consumer and Healthcare industries. From there, she went on to start her own company, a vegan bakery in Los Angeles.

Farah holds a B.B.A in Finance from Loyola Marymount University, where she currently serves on the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council.

Farah Daou

Senior Associate

Click to read bio >

Aliya Friedman

Position: Associate

Aliya is an Associate at Moonshots Capital, with a passion for people and ideas. Before her current role, she worked in investor relations with various companies from Pre-Seed through Series A in Sports, Wellness, Entertainment, and more assisting with their fundraising. She is enthusiastic about the venture ecosystem. Aliya graduated with a degree in Sociology from the University of Texas. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, cooking, and spending time with her dog, Moose.

Aliya Friedman

Associate

Click to read bio >

Milica Iličić

Position: Director of Communications

Milica is the Director of Communications at Moonshots Capital. She is responsible for social media, events, marketing and communications, and assists the investment team with portfolio communications and research. 

Before joining Moonshots, she taught literature, language, and critical theory at Columbia University. Her textbook for the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language is used for instruction at four research universities in the US. Prior to her academic career, she served as Editor in Chief for an online publication on arts and popular culture based in Belgrade, Serbia. Her liberal arts academic background fosters her relentless curiosity about the frontiers of innovation, and a passion for developing and communicating big-picture ideas.

Milica holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Linguistics from Queen Mary, University of London, and a Ph.D. in Slavic and Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She is currently based in New York City.

Milica Iličić

Director of Communications

Click to read bio >

LTC Allen Varghese

Position: Defense Ventures Military Fellow

Lieutenant Colonel Allen Varghese is a Defense Ventures Military Fellow with Moonshots Capital.

Lieutenant Colonel Varghese has served in a wide range of test, operations, and acquisition assignments since earning his commission through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Oklahoma in 2005. His Air Force career began at Tyndall Air Force Base in support of missile testing at the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. Afterwards, he was selected to join the Space Superiority Systems Directorate (SMC/SY) where he served as the lead for various Integrated Product Teams for the Rapid Attack, Identification, Detection, and Reporting System (RAIDRS) Program Office. Then Lt Col Varghese served as the Executive Officer to the Director of SMC/SY. Lt Col Varghese was then deployed for six months to Afghanistan as part of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. After the deployment, he then served in various acquisition leadership roles at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to include the Spacecraft Systems Engineer and Advanced Payloads Branch Chief in the Imagery Intelligence Directorate. After departing the NRO, he served as the Director of Operations at the 4th Space Launch Squadron at Vandenberg Air Force Base. In 2019, Lt Col Varghese was selected as a Service Chief Fellow to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). After the fellowship, Lt Col Varghese served as the Space Control Program Element Monitor and Space Control Branch Chief within the Directorate of Space Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition (SAF/AQS). Prior to his current assignment, Lt Col Varghese was the Materiel Leader for the Rapid Acquisition and Development Branch at Space Systems Command, Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. In this role, he led a $6B military satellite communications program and 900+ member military, civilian, and industry-partner team in the development, test, and delivery of a Secretary of Defense-priority ACAT-I program.

LTC Allen Varghese

Defense Ventures Military Fellow

Click to read bio >

LTC Marc Peterman

Position: Military Fellow

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Marc D. Peterman received his commission through ROTC from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. After commissioning, he attended the Army Aviation Flight School, where he was trained and certified on the AH-64D Apache Longbow.

His assignments include Platoon Leader and assistant S-3 for 1-82nd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After his Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) IX-X deployment, LTC Peterman attended the Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course in Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Upon completion of Captain’s Career Course, he was assigned to Fort Bliss, TX where he was the Company Commander for B Company 1-501st Task Force Dragon. Lieutenant Colonel Peterman led the Death

Dealers (B Company) into Operation Enduring Freedom XIV. Upon his change of command, Lieutenant Colonel Peterman was presented with a new challenge, serving as the Assistant Brigade Aviation Officer for the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armor Division. After his rotation with the 1St Armored Division, LTC Peterman transferred to the Acquisition Corps serving as the Assistant Product Manager for Apache Development, PEO Aviation in Huntsville, AL. Following his tenure at the Apache Program Office, Lieutenant Colonel Peterman was selected to attend Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California to attain his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Systems Acquisition Management. After Naval Postgraduate School, Lieutenant Colonel Peterman moved to Aberdeen Proving Grounds to work at Army Test and Evaluation Center, where he served as the lead tester/evaluator for AEC and N-CFT assessing multiple communication projects. Following his roles at ATEC, LTC Peterman served as the Assistant Product Manager for Technology Applications Program Office, managing the avionics and software for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment where LTC Peterman had the opportunity to lead a diverse set of people and high priority programs for Army Special Operations Aviation.

Lieutenant Colonel Peterman’s military education includes the Aviation Officer Basic, AH-64D Aviator Qualification Course, SERE (High Risk), Military Intelligence Captain’s Career Course, UAS Staff, Leader course and Joint Firepower Controller Course, and Strategic Broadening Seminar at Kansas University, Army Basic Acquisition Course and Program Management Intermediate Course. He is Back to Basics certified Advanced in Program Management and Foundational/Professional in Test and Evaluation.

His awards and decorations include Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with Valor (2nd Award), Air Medal for Service, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Valorous Unit Citation Award, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, and Order of St. Michael. He has also earned the Combat Action Badge, Army Aviator Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badges.

Lieutenant Colonel Peterman and his wife, former Miss Angeline Ebuen, have been married over 14 years and have three children, Christian (21 years old), Jadyn (14 years old) and Memphis (7 years old).

LTC Marc Peterman

Military Fellow

Click to read bio >