About Watchtower
Watchtower is a 501(c)(3) on the doorstep of Fort Bragg, building America's National Interest Corridor.
That proximity is the real advantage: validation from the warfighters who have lived these problems, so founders build the right technology and investors fund with confidence.
The Story
J.R. Mullis spent twenty years as an Air Force contracting officer at Fort Bragg. He watched warfighters leave the service with no clear path forward, while technology companies struggled to reach the very people who could tell them whether their work held up. The two sides needed each other, and nothing was bringing them together.
Sam Miravalle saw the same gap from the other side, as a founder who had built and sold companies and spent years supporting military families. She knew the best solutions come from putting warfighters and builders in the same room. Together, she and J.R. started Watchtower to do exactly that.
They carry skills the country spent millions to build, yet almost none of that expertise reaches the companies that need it.
The nation's densest concentration of elite warfighters is here, at the largest U.S. base by population. The companies and capital that need them are on the coasts.
Investment in the sector is surging, up from $27.2 billion the year before. But little of it reaches the warfighters who know which solutions actually work.
No other place offers direct, ongoing access to the warfighters of USASOC, SOCOM, and JSOC, the nation's top special-operations commands. Watchtower does not compete with existing programs. It completes the ecosystem.
Leadership
A team of warfighters, builders, and investors who independently identified the same gap, now building the ecosystem from the inside.
Executive Director
Since 2022, J.R. has helped 45+ companies secure over $85M in contracts and capital. He spent his final decade in defense acquisition, earned the David Packard Award, and keeps direct lines to USASOC, SOCOM, and JSOC. MBA, UNC Kenan-Flagler.
Managing Director
Sam has built and sold companies across AI, cyber, and data science in the US and Europe. She comes from a multi-generational military family and married into another, and has spent 15+ years supporting veterans and military families.
Board President
As USSOCOM's Technology Chief for the Command Engineer, John led technology integration and a global build portfolio across 15+ countries. A former West Point professor, he now teaches engineering at Duke.
Board Member, Treasurer
Watchtower's financial steward leads defense and space finance at Connor Group, the firm that has guided nearly 300 companies to IPO. He spent 12 years at Deloitte advising government contractors. Licensed CPA.
Board Member, VP of Fund Development
Dave is a Lieutenant Colonel (retired) who served 29 years in Army Special Forces, commanding at every level through Joint Task Force. Now COO of a venture-backed defense company, he has testified before Congress and leads Watchtower's fund development.
The warfighters are here, the technology and capital are flowing, and Watchtower connects them. Sponsors make that connection possible.
Programs
Each one connects a different part of the ecosystem: the founders building the technology, the warfighters transitioning into it, and the companies that need them.
