Team & Advisors
Building the Infrastructure of Trusted Data
Behind Vannadium is a team of experienced founders, engineers, and operators who have built and scaled companies across technology, security, finance, and digital infrastructure. Together, we’re united by a shared mission: to redefine how the world governs and protects data.
Our Team
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Rick Gilchrist
Founder, CEO & Chairman
Rick Gilchrist is the Founder and CEO of Vannadium. He has previously founded/co-founded/managed 17 startups, with 5 successful exits. Rick's knowledge of and belief in blockchain, distributed ledger technology, and enterprise solutions drive his ability to lead Vannadium towards our ultimate vision of data sovereignty for all.
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Randy Krebs
Chief Financial Officer
Randy has founded and successfully exited multiple technology startups. With an extensive background in construction and tech, Randy has raised and supported projects exceeding $1B over his 40 year career.
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Laura Fredericks
Co-Founder & Chief Growth Officer
Laura is a four-time startup founder and experienced growth executive for tech startups. She has led marketing, community development, and business development in edtech, publishing, marketing tech, and blockchain. Her Go-To-Market strategies have led to millions of dollars in transactional uplift and adoption of products by 8 million+ customers in 70+ countries.
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Ben Morin
Director, Customer Development
Ben supports the Chief Growth Officer on strategy, messaging, and investor-facing materials, translating Vannadium’s vision into market-ready narratives across defense, energy, and industrial sectors.
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Walt Rampata
Co-Founder & Executive Vice President
Walt has over 30 years experience in sales, executive management and marketing. His experience spans digital marketing, CAM, and health and wellness industries. He co-founded and operated MindBuzz Marketing Firm and is a former Director of Infinity Patient Bio Partners.
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Rosemarie Savino
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Rosemarie is a seasoned operations executive who is an expert in achieving exceptional growth with startup and early stage enterprises. Her experience in establishing, launching, and operating 11 innovative business entities has led to adding 25K+ customers and tens of millions in net new annual revenue.
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Lisa Nicholls
Director, Events & Communications
Lisa is a consummate networker and community builder who intuitively understands how to form genuine connections with people in real life and online. At Vannadium she manages social media and events outreach to our community.
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Chase Morin
Strategic Relationships + Operations
Chase supports strategic outreach efforts across business development and market voice expansion.
Advisors
A senior engineering executive with advanced academic training in nuclear engineering and plasma physics, Joseph has over 25 years of leadership experience spanning project management, energy infrastructure design, construction, and technology development. He is currently the CEO of AscenTrust LLC, where he oversees front-end project design and engineering strategy for complex energy and industrial initiatives.
Joseph Fournier
CEO, Ascent Trust LLC, Nuclear engineering expert
Global healthcare investor and operator with 20 years of leadership experience advising and scaling healthtech startups across 120+ countries. A Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, he combines clinical expertise with business strategy to accelerate innovation in healthcare delivery.
Dr. Kyle Hoedebecke
Managing Partner, 1836 Ventures; Certified Physician Executive.
24-year Wall Street veteran (Nomura, JP Morgan, Jefferies, Deutsche Bank) with expertise in fintech, crypto, and energy ventures.
John Mancuso
COO, Enguard; Founder, LHH Consultants; Former Head of U.S. Sales, Stovell AI.
