Celebrating 15 Years of Amplify

Charles JuliusCEO & FounderLoamy

Charles Julius is the Co-Founder and CEO of Loamy Technologies, an AI-powered software company transforming how food producers, shippers, and distributors operate through automation. Previously, Charles was an early employee at Procore and Motive, where he helped build and scale technology platforms, including founding Procore’s App Marketplace and Motive's Enterprise Business unit. A former attorney turned technology entrepreneur, Charles brings a unique perspective on building and scaling companies and how AI is fundamentally changing the way businesses operate.

Saul CohenCEO & Co-FounderClifton

Saul Cohen is the CEO & Co-founder of Clifton AI, the first fully autonomous agent that monitors the capital markets and does the first pass of analyst work. He previously built the first private-markets robo-advisor as Head of Digital Advice at Yieldstreet, and the first actively managed robo-advisor as Co-founder and CEO of Round. Earlier in his career, he was a Portfolio Manager at Guggenheim Partners.

Tyler RitzCEO & FounderPeregrine Space Corp

Tyler Ritz is the Founder & CEO of Peregrine Space Corp, a Los Angeles-area startup building modular, radiation-tolerant laser terminals for spacecraft. The terminals combine high-bandwidth optical communications, precision navigation and timing, and beam steering without gimbals. Tyler holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida, with research focused on precision time transfer and optical communication, and has developed and flown orbital optical communications technology for NASA. As a chief engineer and program manager in industry, Tyler saw a gap between what the space sector needs and what today’s hardware can deliver, and founded Peregrine in 2025 to close it.

Connor SundbergPartnerAmplifyModerator

Connor is an Investment Partner at Amplify, and has been a part of the team since 2017. In that time he has led more than twenty of the firm’s investments across AI, fintech, logistics, health and other domains. Connor previously spent time at DoubleLine Capital and JP Morgan Chase, and helped map new entrepreneurship hubs at Endeavor with the Kauffman Foundation. Connor studied at USC as an undergrad where he first got involved in the LA startup ecosystem.

Laura CrabtreeCEO & Co-FounderEpsilon3

Laura Crabtree is the CEO & Co-Founder of Epsilon3, an AI-powered procedure and resource management platform for teams running complex operations, from spacecraft integration and test through launch. Before founding Epsilon3 in 2020, Laura was a mission operations engineer at SpaceX and Northrop Grumman. She supported nearly 100 rocket launches, trained and operated on more than 20 Dragon missions, and was lead trainer for the astronauts of SpaceX’s Crew Demo-2. Backed by Y Combinator and Lux Capital, Epsilon3 builds the tools Laura wished she’d had on console.

Nick LaRovereCEO & Co-FounderBelisar

Nick LaRovere is co-founder and CEO of Belisar, an AI-powered operating system for defense business development and procurement, backed by Amplify. Before starting Belisar, he spent his pre-IPO years at Palantir, and he holds a master’s in computer science from Johns Hopkins.

Brual ShahCTO & Co-FounderGrayMatter Robotics

Brual Shah is the CTO & Co-Founder of GrayMatter Robotics, a Los Angeles company building AI-powered robotic systems that automate sanding, polishing, spraying and other surface finishing work for manufacturers. Brual leads the technology that lets GrayMatter’s robots program themselves, so customers don’t have to hand-code them. Before co-founding the company, Brual was a robotics researcher at the University of Maryland and USC, publishing widely on robot motion planning, manipulation and autonomous navigation. GrayMatter has raised more than $70 million from investors including Wellington Management, NGP Capital and B Capital.

Alex RubalcavaManaging PartnerAmplifyModerator

Alex Rubalcava is a Managing Partner at Amplify, which he joined in 2026 via the merger of his prior firm, Stage Venture Partners, into Amplify. Alex began his venture career in 2002 as an analyst at Anthem Venture Partners, and later ran a value-oriented public equity partnership. He invests in enterprise software and frontier tech, including robotics, space and defense, and has served on the boards of GrayMatter Robotics, Dyania Health, and Balto. Alex is a graduate of Harvard University.

Scott KrizGM, Continuous IdentityCrowdStrike

Scott Kriz is a serial founder who has spent more than a decade building in identity and access security. He co-founded Bitium, which Google acquired, and then co-founded and led SGNL, a Continuous Identity company acquired by CrowdStrike, where he now serves as GM of Continuous Identity. Scott is also an active angel investor in early-stage startups.

Eric FutoranVP, Observability Product StrategyPalo Alto Networks

Eric Futoran is an LA founder who has built two category-defining tech companies. He co-founded Scopely, the Culver City mobile games powerhouse, and later co-founded and led Embrace, a mobile and web observability platform acquired by Palo Alto Networks, where he now serves as VP of Observability Product Strategy. Eric also teaches technology entrepreneurship at UCLA Anderson and is a longtime startup advisor, angel investor, and Amplify.LA mentor.

Dave ColeChief Technology OfficerIntellistackModerator

Building cybersecurity products since ’99. First Chief Product Officer at CrowdStrike, CPO at Tenable through its IPO, then co-founder and CEO of Open Raven. Now building at the intersection of AI and spatial intelligence. Board member, advisor, and investor. Tennis dad, diver & plant lover.

Robbins SchraderCEO & FounderSafeRide Health

Robbins Schrader is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SafeRide Health, a technology platform modernizing access to life-sustaining care. Under his leadership, SafeRide delivers over 10 million non-emergency medical transportation trips a year and serves the nation’s premier commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid payors.

Paul BricaultManaging PartnerAmplifyModerator

Paul Bricault is the Founder and Managing Partner of Amplify, which has funded 135 companies since launching in 2011, and has served as a Board Partner at Greycroft for 13 years. He previously founded the Mailroom Fund, a joint venture between Accel and William Morris Endeavor, where he spent 14 years as EVP and head of Digital.