There’s a particular kind of tension before you know something is about to happen. The stretch of time when you wonder if you’ve got it right, as you debate if your information is timely, accurate, and relevant. Critical bits of information can drastically change outcomes. Consequential decisions and actions will follow. The first signal has already arrived, and the only question left is whether it will reach the right people in time to matter. I have stood in that quiet more than once, in watch centers, in offices advising senior decision makers, and leading units in hostile locations, long before I’d ever heard of Dataminr. The lesson never changed: the gap between knowing and acting is where people get hurt, or don’t.
That’s why Dataminr’s mission resonates with me on a level that goes beyond a job description. Delivering our customers the earliest and most reliable warning of a risk is aligned with the work I spent a career doing in uniform, just with a different set of tools. The information is usually out there long before most organizations see it; our platform’s job is to close that gap, the same gap I used to think about every day in the field: “What am I missing? What do I need to know?” When I talk with our armed forces customers now about force protection or mission assurance, I’m not translating a military concept into a civilian one. It’s the same concept.
I’m far from the only person at Dataminr who arrived here this way. Across our global defense facing teams especially, you’ll find professionals who spent years in uniform before they spent a day at this company. That shared background shows up in ways our customers notice: they want clear information over noise, are comfortable with high-stakes decisions, and have an instinct for mission first. It isn’t a coincidence. It’s part of why this company does the work it does, the way it does it.
That shared instinct has a home here, too. I’m proud to serve as the executive sponsor of Service@Dataminr, the employee resource group that supports and empowers Veterans, allies, and anyone with a service affiliation. It’s a place for the kind of conversation that doesn’t always happen anywhere else in a company: what it’s like to translate a military résumé into a civilian one, how to mentor someone newly transitioning into the commercial sector, or simply finding colleagues who’ve been through the same transition. Sponsoring that group is a personally meaningful part of what I do at Dataminr, because it keeps something I care about deeply — the idea that service doesn’t end the day you take off the uniform — alive inside this company.
While my perspective is shaped by my own military service in the United States, I recognize that service and remembrance carry different traditions around the world. From Veterans Day in America to Remembrance and Armistice Day across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the wider Commonwealth, and Europe, we each have our own ways of honoring those who served. While our traditions may differ, the values of service, sacrifice, comradeship, and remembrance are common to us all.
This Veterans and Remembrance Day, we want to make that visible outside these walls. We asked Veterans and those with service affiliations across Dataminr to share a photo from their time in service, along with a line on what that service means to them, or what they’ve carried from it into the work they do today. Their stories are as much a part of this company’s mission as mine.
The mission doesn’t end when you take off the uniform. It just changes shape. To every Veteran, active service member, and the families who’ve supported them, at Dataminr and beyond: Thank You. I hope to see your stories in the days ahead.
“This is certainly not a hostile location…Far from it. I am with one of my closest friends, with whom I’ve walked, parachuted, and shared many close painful and joyful moments together. Now, as fellow Veterans, we continue to lift each other, bringing each other along and honoring each other’s service and friendship by sharing what we both love.”
– Mike Loos, SVP, Customer Success · Executive Sponsor, Service@Dataminr
“I just retired from the Air Force this past April (10 years active duty/10 years reserve). I’m taking with me a firm belief that you don’t need a uniform to serve others. Showing up for neighbors and friends and investing in my community is a way to continue that legacy of service.”
– Linsey Fuchs
Director, Public Sector Solutions Architecture
“Joining the Royal Marines Commandos at a young age taught me a lot of life lessons, my favourite one was to always try to be cheerful in the face of adversity. Often easier said than done! but having your brothers there next to you gives you the strength you need to “spin a good old fashioned dit” and lighten the mood (Royal Marines jargon for a colourful and often exaggerated story or yarn). When I was considering joining and going through the application process, I would hear stories of our amazing lads serving abroad, their bravery and dedication inspired me to want to join”
– Will Gregor
Senior Alerting Operations Manager
“The privilege of serving my country made me the man I am today. It offered unmatched challenges and opportunities, and without that, my life would be entirely different and far less fulfilling.”
– Dan Clarke
CW2, USA (ret.)
Senior Deployment Engineer (Cyber Defense / Investigation Insights)
“Take care of your people and those around you; trust them, empower them, hold them to a high standard and the mission/job takes care of itself. Plans only matter because of the people who carry them out, so start with them.”
– Trey Torres
Customer Success Manager, US DoW
“My military service shaped much of who I am today, but service isn’t defined solely by the uniform you wear or the years you serve. For me, it’s about duty, loyalty, integrity and looking after those around you. Those values don’t leave you when you take off the uniform; they stay with you in how you lead, support others and contribute to something greater than yourself.”
– Rohan Byfield
Director, Customer Success, EMEA Public Sector
“I believe living with the mindset of “service” rather than “self-serving” can completely shift your life experience for the better. By taking your focus from inward to outward, you gain a sense of purpose, lift others up around you and build a stronger community in the process. This can be achieved in many ways outside of just military service. So go out and explore ways to serve and impact those around you, it’s worth it. (Picture: Deployed in AFG, celebrating my 21st birthday)”
– Thomas Hoffstetter Jr.
Customer Success Manager, US DOD
“One of the greatest pleasures of serving is finding camaraderie and reconnecting in the most unexpected places, especially when you need it most. I was visiting remote Zabul province to support one of my classmates leading a team out there, only to run into another classmate (who would tragically pass a few months later), only to meet another comrade who was mutual friends with another classmate who had also tragically passed a few months prior…”
– Dan Horst
Customer Success Manager, US SLED
“When you eat, sleep, and breathe with those to your left and right you realize life is about so much more. You also learn to find joy in the messy parts of life, every choice you make means something. So smile even when it feels difficult, because you are always uplifting someone else who might be struggling too.”
– Amanda Kehrrington
Senior Customer Success Manager, US DOD
“The Marines gave me perspective I still lean on when days or decisions get hard. Take a deep breath and keep moving forward. Look at the leaders around you and watch how they act, operate, talk to others, and make decisions. Take what works and make it your own, and notice what doesn’t. Leaders of every style have something to teach if you pay attention.”
– Nick Chiosie
Director, Content Operations
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