Dr. JT Kostman
- AI Scientist -
- Psychologist -
- Venture Capitalist -
- Motorcycle Mechanic -
If you’re wondering how a homeless kid from the streets of New York ended up advising Presidents, running billion-dollar divisions of Fortune 50 companies, and launching a Positive Impact Venture Studio to help underdog founders change the world...Well, you’re not alone. I still ask myself that same thing most days.I’m a Psychologist, AI Scientist, and Venture Capitalist – and I've devoted my life to protecting and empowering people.Over the course of a weird, wild, and wonderful life, I’ve worn more hats than Bartholomew Cubbins: Paramedic. Police Officer. Deep-Sea Rescue Diver. Special Forces Soldier.After completing a PhD and a few postdoctoral degrees, I finally got jobs working indoors.Chief Data Scientist for Samsung, Chief Data Officer and Member of the ExCom for Time Inc., Board Member for a substantial PE/VC, and serving as a Senior Advisor to the U.S. Intelligence Community, the Department of Defense, and President Barack Obama.I’ve led billion-dollar transformations, built AI systems that are still being used around the world, helped close over 50 acquisitions, and (most importantly), kept people safe – both from the Bad Guys and from themselves.What best defines me, however, are my experiences teaching MBA students how to lead during Crisis, Chaos, and Change without losing their composure – or their companies – and serving as a mentor to scores and scores of aspiring entrepreneurs, fledgling founders, and people who simply want a better life – in places including Silicon Valley, Sydney, Soweto, and the South Bronx.These days, I’m focused on EmberGrow, the Venture Studio I founded to back the brilliant weirdos, rule-breakers, and overlooked geniuses who want to Do Well While Doing Good. We’re proving that purpose and profit aren’t mutually exclusive – and, when done right, they’re mutually reinforcing.EmberGrow funds startups that create real impact and real returns, led by people without pedigrees, privilege, or political connections. Because I’ve learned the hard way that the best investment isn’t in tech – it’s in talent and tenacity. And while ability is equally distributed, opportunity is not.As to credentials... I’ve got a few. PhD in Psychology, postdocs in AI and Mathematics, a couple of NSF fellowships, and security clearances that let me learn things I'm supposed to forget.That said, at the end of the day, I’m not impressed by degrees or connections - and I have zero patience for politics or performative puffery. What I care about is helping people find meaning, solve hard problems, and leave the world better than they found it.When I’m not building companies or coaching leaders, you’ll usually find me in my garage covered in grease, wrenching on vintage motorcycles. I ride, restore, and rebuild old bikes the way I do everything: with curiosity, reverence for craftsmanship, and the occasional string of creative profanity. I’ve found that engines, like people, tend to seize up when you ignore the small stuff.