Ep 13 - Keith Masback - Angel Investing, Geospatial Intelligence & Leadership

Keith Masback was CEO of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation for over a decade and is now an Angel Investor and Advisor to multiple start-ups, mostly related to Earth Observation & Remote Sensing. Keith started in the US Army, working as an Infantry Officer, and went on to join the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. We talk about Keith's perspective both in the military and in the civilian world of Earth Observation, or as he points out, Geospatial Intelligence. We also touch on what Angel Investing & Advising is and why he does it, as well as talk about the role of leader he's taken on multiple times.

About Keith Masback:

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

Time stamps:

• 02:05 - Episode starts, Keith introduces himself

• 10:00 - Keith’s introduction to geospatial in the military

• 14:00 - Learning from the people you lead

• 20:00 - Operationalizing imagery intelligence

• 26:10 - Building trust to change mentalities and processes

• 35:40 - Moving into advising start ups

• 39:10 - What does an advisor do?

• 46:05 - Deciding who & what to invest in

• 51:00 - Keeping an open mind to opportunities

• 54:05 - "Geospatial Intelligence"

• 59:25 - The value proposition brought by Planet

• 1:01:50 - Keeping up with the news

• 1:05:15 - Keith’s videos on explaining satellite images with WIRED

• 1:10:30 - Media Recommendations

• 1:14:50 - One last question: Are we lacking "getting mud on our boots” today?

Shownotes:

• United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation

• Hermeus

• Blogpost: The totally made-up word that’s changing the world

• Wired videos:

  • Spy Satellite Expert Explains How to Analyze Satellite Imagery

  • Spy Satellite Expert Breaks Down Surveillance Scenes From Movies & TV

• International Spy Museum

• Media recommendation:

  • Gettysburg

  • Killer Angels

  • A Bridge Too Far

Please feel free to reach out!

• My Twitter

• For news about the podcast

• Website