Mission Modernized: How AI is Reshaping Intelligence from the Inside Out | The Pair Program Ep86

On today’s episode of The Pair Program, we’re joined by Sheetal Patel, former CIA Assistant Director for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center, and Bruce Frost, Vice President of Intelligence at Rhombus Power, to discuss how AI is reshaping modern intelligence. With decades of experience across government and industry, they break down what it really takes to modernize analysis, move faster in high-stakes environments, and build trust in emerging technologies.

What we cover in this episode:

1. How AI is transforming open-source intelligence
2. Predictive models and threat forecasting
3. Bias and transparency in AI systems
4. Public-to-private sector career transitions
5. Innovation inside national security missions

About Sheetal Patel: Sheetal is a former CIA senior executive with 28 years of service across national security and intelligence. She served as Assistant Director for the Transnational and Technology Mission Center, where she built and led a new team focused on emerging technologies. She also previously held the role of Assistant Director for CIA for Counterintelligence.

About Bruce Frost: Bruce joined Rhombus Power in September 2022, where he serves as Vice President of Intelligence. Prior to joining Rhombus Power, Bruce was a senior executive at CIA where he held a variety of leadership roles including Associate Deputy Director of CIA for Operations.

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Feeding the Beam: Powering Directed Energy & Counter-UAS | The Pair Program Ep85

In today’s episode, we’re joined by Adam Warmoth, Founder & CEO of Chariot Defense, and Michael LaFramboise, CEO & Co-Founder of Aurelius Systems, for a deep dive into one of the most overlooked constraints in modern warfare: power. Together, they explore how energy, autonomy, and cost collide at the tactical edge, and why rethinking power systems is critical for counter-UAS, directed energy weapons, and future defense stacks. The conversation blends real-world demos, lessons from commercial tech, and candid insights on what it actually takes to deploy hardware that works beyond day one.

We dive into:

1. Why power, not software, is the real bottleneck at the edge
2. The economics of lasers vs. missiles for counter-drone defense
3. Batteries as power, not just energy storage
4. Lessons defense can borrow from EVs, automotive, and industrial tech
5. Scaling hardware from demo to sustained deployment

About Adam Warmoth: Adam is Founder & CEO of Chariot Defense, building edge-deployable power systems for modern battlefields. Former engineering leader at Anduril Industries, with experience spanning counter-UAS, robotics, AI, and sensor fusion. Previously worked on advanced electric power systems at Archer Aviation, Uber Elevate, and Kitty Hawk. Stanford-trained engineer focused on bringing commercial-grade power tech into defense.

About Michael LaFramboise: Michael is CEO & Co-Founder of Aurelius Systems, developing autonomous laser platforms to defeat drones at radically lower cost. Brings a rare mix of experience across automotive manufacturing, high-power laser systems, and defense sales. His team’s flagship system, Archimedes, combines AI, sensors, and directed energy to neutralize drones in seconds—turning electricity into ammunition.

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How We Hatched: Luigi Lenguito, Founder & CEO of BforeAI

In this How We Hatched episode, we sit down with Luigi Lenguito, Founder & CEO of BforeAI, to explore the thinking behind predictive cybersecurity. Luigi shares what convinced him the industry was too focused on reacting to attacks—and why stopping threats before they happen is the real challenge ahead. We talk about building a company around a contrarian idea, lessons from scaling inside big tech, and the mindset shift required to rethink security from the ground up.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

1. Why “detect and respond” isn’t enough anymore
2. How predictive security changes the cyber playbook
3. Founder lessons that don’t translate from big tech
4. The growing impact of fraud and impersonation attacks

About Luigi Lenguito: Luigi is the Founder & CEO of BforeAI, where he leads the company’s vision and strategy around predictive cybersecurity. With over 30 years of experience across IT operations, M&A, and cybersecurity, Luigi founded BforeAI after recognizing the need to move from reactive defense to preemptive security. Today, he is focused on advancing behavioral predictive analytics to help organizations stay ahead of cyber threats—before they happen. Exploring your next tech role? Get insider job advice and the latest startup & govtech openings – delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe here: https://www.myhatchpad.com/newsletter/