Hello, I’m George.
Nice to meet you!

Supporting executive teams building new ventures is my passion. Reach out if you need any help with ideation, validation, product development, recruiting, team building, fundraising, or advice. Happy to help.

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Who am I, you ask?

I have been involved in the tech scene since before the y2k .com bubble, having worked with 1000s of startups as CTO and cofounder of a boutique software development firm focused on building web and mobile products from napkin sketch to launch to scale and beyond. After exiting, I worked with Tony Hsieh’s Downtown Project, VegasTechFund, and WorkInProgress handling community relations, investment deal flow, and portfolio management. Currently sit on several boards such as UNLV’s Rebel Venture Fund and PunchCode, a coding bootcamp with a focus on helping young folks level up. Recently operated as a tech scout and innovation program manager for the United States Air Force’s flagship innovation program called AFWERX, bringing startups and airmen together to solve some of their toughest problems through rapid prototyping and acquisitions.



April 2016 - PRESENT
Managing Director & Founder
Magnetic Minds
Founded the company to provide expert coaching, mentoring, training and consulting to early stage startup teams and assist with software product development, leadership development, business development, and venture capital fundraising. Draw upon a wide spectrum of trusted professional colleagues to guide clients through the trials and tribulations of new venture development and scaling.
March 2018 - July 2020
Innovation Program Manager
AFWERX Vegas, United States Air Force
AFWERX is a catalyst for agile United States Air Force engagement across industry, academia, and non-traditional contributors to create transformative opportunities and foster an Air Force culture of innovation. I worked directly with a wide array of military leaders, leading technologists and subject matter experts on developing market led solutions to problems worth solving for our warfighters.
2017 - 2018
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship
UNLV Lee Business School
Taught a course on entrepreneurship based on MIT’s “Disciplined Entrepreneurship” by Bill Aulet
March 2014 - April 2016
Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR)
VTF Capital, formerly VegasTechFund
VegasTechFund is the seed stage venture capital fund created as a part of Zappo’s CEO Tony Hsieh’s $350 million Downtown Project to revitalize downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.
October 2014 - April 2016
Director
Work in Progress
Cultivated and managed Work in Progress, the largest shared coworking space and community in Las Vegas owned and operated by VegasTechFund. Developed and managed a mentorship program with 100+ global tech leaders serving the community. Served as VegasTech ambassador by representing our tech scene to 1000’s of purposeful visitors, media, and foreign dignitaries.
March 2004 - April 2014
Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder
Raster Media
Co-founded this startup studio which specialized in deploying cross-disciplinary squads (Product, Design, and Engineering) to quickly prototype, build, and iterate new product ideas. Managed product development for 500+ startups & brands including Humana, GoPro, Black & Decker, Vegas.com, Coca-Cola, Palms Casino, and Howard Hughes Corporation.
April 2003 - March 2004
Senior Data Warehouse Engineer
Mariposa Software
Co-architected and developed best in class data warehouse solutions to provide data mining & visualization solutions for every major casino player tracking system on the market. The Mariposa suite was acquired by IGT for over $20 million.
April 2000 - April 2003
Senior Software Engineer
Mpower Communications
Developed and maintained most internal intranet systems including HR, finance, sales, asset management, field services, trouble ticketing, order management, and telecom service provisioning.
April 1994 - April 2000
Senior MIS Analyst
Citibank
Started in the mailroom and ended up designing and building software systems to track and report every key metric for all of Citibank Cards North America. Became versed in Six Sigma/TQM and implemented process improvements nationwide. Received the Citicorp Service Excellence Award
ADVISORY WORK
March 2015 - PRESENT
Advisory Board Member and Mentor
PunchCode
Providing feedback on education offering and connecting the team to the local tech community. Assisting with placement of graduates.
April 2015 - PRESENT
Management Board Member
UNLV Rebel Venture Fund
Coaching student fund directors. Advising on due diligence and voting on the approval of investments.
January 2014 - PRESENT
Mentor / Advisor
Everwise
Mentoring and advising up and coming professionals across the spectrum of company formation, people management, product development, venture fundraising, and startup operations.
January 2018 - PRESENT
Mentor / Advisor
Operation Code
Mentoring and advising military service members transitioning into professional technology careers.
January 2018 - PRESENT
Mentor / Advisor
Defense Entrepreneurship Forum
Mentoring and advising transitioning military service members starting new companies
2012 - PRESENT
Investor & Advisor
The Spirit Project
SPIRIT is an innovative technology solution that connects individuals, government agencies, and communities to services that improve their health, safety, and well-being. I’m proud to be involved in such a truly helpful endeavor.

Experience

Over 20+ years of experience working with companies across almost every vertical from all over the world.

Linkedin Download My Resume

Clients & Works

Vegas.com

Vegas.com

Vegas.com is the official 'What happens in Vegas' resource. We developed Vegas.com's sweepstakes engine running co-branded contests with the likes of Coca Cola, Warner Bros, The Mob Museum, and many more.

iPriceMatch

Starting with the raw idea, our team built a complete cloud based system with complex API integrations, matching algorithms, and site management capabilities. Our UX team designed an experience that was friendly, whimsical, and intuitive for customers to find the best deals at their favorite grocery stores.

iPriceMatch
Klinq

Klinq

Exclusive drink deals at your favorite hangouts. The first Beverage Network turning online activity into brick and mortar visits around the world. We developed the Klinq network system to allow brands to geotarget customers by demographic matching.

Palms Player Club Kiosk

Commissioned by the Palms Casino Resort to replace their legacy player club promotional kiosk software with a modern customs solution. The new system allowed for efficient management of powerful hypertargeted promotional offers, drawings, and contests. Built from the ground up and integrated into their IGT player tracking system, this robust touch screen kiosk was well received by the Palms' players and management.

Palms Player Club Kiosk
Tactical Navigation

Tactical Navigation

Tactical NAV was developed specifically for our US Military warfighters serving in combat zones for airstrike targeting, IED tracking, squad wayfinding, and communications. TacticalNav was the first mobile app to translate lat/lon info into Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) coordinates to enable precision targeting.

AMBEST

Developed the official AMBEST iPhone, Android, and Blackberry apps allowing customers to easily locate AMBEST facilities, explore amenities, find food and service centers, check fuel prices, request roadside assistance,and utilize their AMBUCKS loyalty points.

AMBEST
Golf Pin Money

Golf Pin Money

Golf Pin Money was created to track bets and scores on the course with your golfing buddies hole-by-hole. When the round is completed, the app settles all bets automatically.

Testimonials

George has been a key influencer, panel speaker, and leader in the burgeoning VegasTech startup scene in Las Vegas for the past two decades working with dozens of firms. He’s an accomplished entrepreneur and understands business at a deep level. His ability to connect with people on a personal level, and help them reach their potential is what makes him great. He’s a major asset for any team.

Brooks Halladay

Brooks Halladay

Phusion, CEO

Since the early days of Everwise, George has been an instrumental part of our mentor community, supporting numerous mentees along the way. In his most recent partnership, George's mentee shared, "George was the perfect match. He taught me how to give back and try to show generosity and patience to others, especially my direct reports. He understood me and was able to guide me." George continues to work with mentees inside of the Everwise community, and we couldn't be happier or more appreciative for the guidance and dedication he shows to each participant. We look forward to our continued partnership with George.

Angela Miller

Angela Miller

Sr Director of Customer Success

For over a dozen years I have followed George's career and almost no one has impressed me more. George is a natural leader, an effective communicator, a gifted developer, an inspired designer and a dependable implementer of cutting edge technology solutions. As a leader, he George the ability to motivate, challenge and inspire any team. His mentoring skills match the best leaders that I have encountered in over 30 years of technical work including 10 years of military experience. A a manager, George is able to construct extremely complex long term plans and execute those plans with precision. George led dozens of developers at his successful startup Raster Media and most recently, George provides guidance to an entire community with his work at VegasTechFund. I would look forward to teaming up with George again anywhere, anytime.

Jay Emerson

Jay Emerson

Singulara Tech, CEO

Let's Meet!