Aaron joined FirstMile in 2013. Since joining the firm, Aaron has led 15 investments. Most of his investments are in Colorado, but they cover a number of areas including SaaS, Distributed Ledgers, Security, Marketplaces, Fintech and Robotics. He knows the next big opportunity won't look like the last and is always looking for founding teams. that have figured something out that others haven't.. Prior to joining FirstMile, Aaron had a diverse set experiences that provide great perspective as an investor. He spent 10 years as an Army officer and helicopter pilot, leading teams in a number of challenging environments including two overseas deployments. The lessons the military instilled on leadership, teamwork and execution have greatly influenced his thoughts on management and investing.. It was during his MBA that Aaron first developed a desire to work with early-stage companies. He volunteered at a technology incubator, then worked as a summer intern and part-time employee at Novinda, a venture-backed company in the clean coal market. Most recently, Aaron worked in the Corporate Strategy Group at Newmont Mining, the #2 gold miner in the world. He worked on M&A, investor relations and negotiated a mineral agreement with a foreign government.. Aaron grew up in Michigan before studying economics at West Point. After graduation, he attended flight school in Alabama and moved to Korea for his first assignment as a platoon leader. He received his MBA with a concentration in Finance from the Daniels College at the University of Denver.
