Team
Brennan Lieu, Founder & CEO
blieu@hybrontech.com
Prior to founding Hybron Technologies, Brennan Lieu was the Vice President of Product Development at a composites startup making engine components for race cars. He is an inventor on 8 patent applications in the composites space, and was the youngest member of the SEMA 35 Under 35 Class of 2022. He has a passion for advancing technology and is majoring in Energy, Mechanical, and Aerospace Engineering at Stanford University.
Aaron Guo, Founder & CTO
aguo@hybrontech.com
Aaron Guo is a co-founder of Hybron Technologies. Previously, he worked with Brennan to develop the first engine-tested composite pushrod that increased power output by 4%. He is an inventor on 4 patent applications. Aaron studied Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science at UC Berkeley while working on Hybron Technologies, and he recently graduated in 3 years to pursue Hybron full time.
Craig Ellis, Principal Engineer
The spark of Craig’s passion for composites ignited at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on a NASA/Air Force funded all-composite sailplane project. Craig pursued composites R&D opportunities at General Dynamics, Hughes, and Northrop Grumman, where he quickly advanced to the head of composites manufacturing engineering on the B2. Following UCLA’s EMBA program, he held key executive positions in Northrop Grumman's front-end of the business (strategic planning, market & technology development, proposals, mergers, and acquisitions; notably leading the concept definition proposal of the F-35), corporate real estate, and internal information technology where he was CIO of a $3.5B business unit, then company CTO.
Rahul Singh, Chief Growth Officer
With over 20 years of experience spanning the military, corporations, startup, and defense sectors, Rahul is a recognized leader in bridging the gap between cutting-edge technologies and national security needs. A U.S. Marine Veteran with a distinguished service record, including managing global supply chains and earning the Navy Achievement Medal, he has a proven track record of identifying critical gaps and finding solutions for organizational needs. Rahul has since held key roles scaling technology startups, creating strategic partnerships for Amazon HQ and helping companies engage the Department of Defense through the Defense Innovation Unit.
Professor Fu-Kuo Chang, Advisor
Dr. Fu-Kuo Chang is a professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford University. He is also the director of the Stanford Structures and Composites Laboratory. His research topics include damage tolerance and failure analysis for composite materials, advanced multi-physics computational methods for multi-functional structures, integrated health management for aircraft structures, active sensing diagnostics for composite structures, and self-diagnostics for high-temperature materials.
Professor Robert O. Ritchie, Advisor
Dr. Robert O. Ritchie is a Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the mechanical behavior of engineering & biological materials at multiple length-scales. One of his group’s active research programs is in hypersonic materials, and his sponsors include the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), along with the Energy Research and Development Office and Office of Basic Energy Sciences within the Department of Energy.
Jack Baron, Advisor
Jack Baron is a successful entrepreneur with over 40 years in technology and sales leadership. He was the co-founder, President, and Chief Marketing and Training Officer of PAETEC, a Fortune 1000 company. He managed over 1500 people and took the company from zero revenue to over $2.3 billion in revenue within 10 years. Jack also co-founded Sweetwater Energy, which raised $57 million and achieved full-scale commercial production. Additionally, he was President at a four-year engineering college in Cleveland, Ohio and served four years as a Vice President at Goldome Bank, managing 170 people and over $1.7 billion in assets. Jack decided to join the BladeX team after the Venture For ClimateTech accelerator, where he currently serves as Managing Director.
Bill Bender, Advisor
Bill Bender is a seasoned board member, tech industry executive, former United States Air Force CIO, and retired three-star general with extensive expertise in IT, cybersecurity, and governance. As CIO of the USAF, he oversaw a $17B IT spend and a 54,000-person workforce. As Senior Vice President at Leidos, he supported growth from $10B to $15B. He established the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem to build the Air Force Innovation Unit which led to today's Defense Innovation Unit. An innovation driver, Bill is also an advisor to startups and a published writer and speaker.
