Co-Founder and CEO
Adam Rentschler is the co-founder and CEO of Valid Eval. With nearly 30 years of experience leading and investing in technology companies, Adam brings a unique combination of operational and funding expertise to his mission of building the American innovation ecosystem. Adam has served as a venture capitalist, angel investor, three-time CEO, and two-time founder.
CTO and COO
Jacob Ablowitz has over 20 years of experience as a technical and operational leader, with roles at Lockheed Martin, Bridgewater Associates (the world's largest hedge fund), and as Co-Founder & CEO of a data marketplace startup. Jacob joined Valid Eval to channel his passion for applying systems-thinking principles to help organizations make decisions that are not only data-driven but also aligned with mission, values, and culture.
Co-Founder and CPO
Kent Hollrah is a co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Valid Eval. With 30 years of experience as a design engineer, product designer, and educator, he has designed and delivered everything from high-speed thrill rides at Disney to fintech research platforms for Goldman Sachs. Kent rejoined Valid Eval to evolve the product suite with just the right amount of artificial intelligence in just the right places.
VP of Customer Success
Joy Bird brings over 20 years of leading customer success to Valid Eval. Much of her experience has been rooted in the financial industry with Thomson Reuters Lipper, where she learned the art of navigating FINRA and SEC compliance and regulations requirements. She is passionate about building efficient processes that improve the customer experience.
CISO
Trent Hein is the Co-CEO at Rule4. He is best known as co-author of the best-selling Unix System Administration Handbook and Linux Administration Handbook. Trent has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the USENIX Association for his work as a developer with the University of California at Berkeley's Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG), and he was the third engineer hired at Berkeley Software Design Inc. (BSDI).
Head of Infrastructure
Devon Jones brings 25 years of architectural and operational experience to Valid Eval. At SendGrid, he architected and scaled the system that delivers over eight billion emails per day. He brings a blameless process to incident response and a focus on constant learning and empiricism to operational decision making.
Head of Contracting
Louis Orndorff, a retired USAF Colonel and Joint Qualified Officer, brings over 35 years of expertise in federal procurement, contract management, and international diplomacy—ranging from weapon systems to war zone contracts. A four-time acquisition commander with multiple unlimited contracting warrants, he has managed 300+ major defense contracts worth more than $200 billon, including TS SAP/SAR programs. Louis is a trusted leader in acquisition strategy and program management and an expert in security cooperation challenges.
Austin DeLorme is a relationship-driven Air Force veteran bringing more than 15 years of experience as an acquisition officer and physicist to Valid Eval's Board of Advisors. A founding force behind AFWERX and SpaceWERX , she pioneered the Pitch Day model and launched AFVentures to accelerate technology modernization and adoption across the Department of Defense. Currently Co-Founder and CEO of Auxo and Vice President of Federal at Firehawk, Austin possesses deep expertise in federal acquisition reform and industry engagement. Her perspective is paramount as Valid Eval helps turn breakthrough commercial-sector tech into operational capability for the American warfighter.
Daniel J. Finkenstadt, Ph.D., draws on 25 years of extensive federal acquisition expertise to Valid Eval's Board of Advisors, with a unique ability to bridge the gap between academic insights and complex procurement processes. A retired USAF officer, his mastery of choice modeling and AI/ML provides an indispensable perspective to modernize the acquisition landscape. Daniel is currently Vice President of Research and Senior Fellow at the Commerce & Contract Management Institute and is Founder and Principal of Wolf Stake Consulting. His military leadership experience, academic insights, and business acumen are crucial to Valid Eval's endeavor to enhance automation in federal acquisition.
Kate Lynch Machado brings over 30 years of expertise in corporate development and strategic growth to Valid Eval's Board of Advisors. A veteran of the government contracting and data science landscapes, she specializes in transforming complex federal challenges into scalable solutions. Kate is currently Director of Strategic Growth at Summit, where she thoughtfully develops service offerings, identifies new opportunities, and enables teams of statisticians, economists, and econometricians to solve government problems. Her deep domain knowledge across the acquisition ecosystem is instrumental in driving Valid Eval's mission to expand its reach and national impact.
David Rolen applies over 20 years of defense acquisition and military leadership to Valid Eval's Board of Advisors, with a focus on translating complex procurement strategies into operational capability. Formerly a requirements, innovation, and acquisition professional within the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, he excels at bridging the gap between acquisition policy and technology adoption. He currently serves as Director of BD Enablement and Strategy at Reveal Technology, where he helps shape growth vision, align teams, and drive disciplined execution. David's rare blend of insider defense knowledge and acquisition innovation is critical as Valid Eval creates a faster, more transparent federal acquisition engine.