Michael leads Starburst’s US east coast operations based in Arlington, VA.

Michael is an international commercial aerospace, defense & space executive experienced in working with disruptively innovative start-ups across numerous commercial aerospace, defense & space domains as their banker, consultant, acquirer and employee since before it became popular.

Michael’s formative experiences include intelligence operations and combat service with the 82nd Airborne Division for Operation Desert Storm, with Task Force 118 for then-classified Operation Prime Chance, and missions with the 519th Military Intelligence Battalion (Airborne) (Tactical Exploitation) supporting the XVIII Airborne Corps, the JFK Special Warfare Center & School and national level agencies.

Since graduating from the Wharton School, Michael worked in strategy consulting (McKinsey & PricewaterhouseCoopers), Fortune 500 corporate development (Rockwell Collins & Thales) and investment banking (PCE Investment Bankers & The McLean Group) roles. More recently, he served as Strategy, Business Development & Sales VP at AI start-up SparkCognition and as the VP of Strategic Partnerships at Israeli offensive cyber counter-UAS start-up D-Fend Solutions.

Michael is the founder of senior executive association Wharton Aerospace and its 1492 Club. He is also a board director at the National Defense University Foundation.