006: John Goodson - From Deployment to Darkhive

John Goodson is the co-founder and CEO of Darkhive, an early stage drone startup based in San Antonio, TX. John served from 2007-2016 in the United States Navy, primarily as a combat technician supporting the West coast SEAL Teams. John completed 4 tours of duty in Afghanistan and received multiple awards, including the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" Valor designator. After separating from active duty, John joined CTI and served in a variety of roles across the business. In 2021, he founded Darkhive with Steve Turner, to address the deficiencies in military tactical drones that he experienced first-hand during combat operations. 

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground, John shares about his role as a combat technician in the U.S. Navy, operating military drones during combat, which led him to found Darkhive. John discusses the specific products that Darkhive is developing, and the underpinning Red Queen software that enables actionable information for operators. He shares his concern about China’s entrenchment in the drone market through DJI, as well as a call to action for more entrepreneurship within defense.

This episode is hosted by Jeff Phaneuf and Helen Phillips.

Full Bio:

John is a US Special Operations veteran and experienced defense industry executive.  He served from 2007-2016 in the United States Navy, primarily as a combat technician supporting the West coast SEAL Teams where he completed 4 tours of duty in Afghanistan receiving multiple awards including the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat "V" Valor designator.  After separating from active duty in 2016, he went on to join CTI, a US-based small defense technology company, where he served in a variety of roles including product management, contract strategy, and business development.  In the Fall of 2021, he founded Darkhive with Steve Turner to address the deficiencies in military tactical drones that he experienced first-hand during combat operations.