Jay Velasco is a 📝Los Angeles, CA based advisor and founder operating at the intersection of deep tech, venture capital, and national security. He serves as a strategic advisor at Aero X Ventures and OPFOR, and is the founder of SoCal Deep Tech, where he works to connect dual-use founders, defense industry leaders, and investors. Velasco’s career includes prior roles at the Alliance for Southern California Innovation and 📝AI LA, as well as hands-on contributions to community and project management in the region’s innovation ecosystem. He is recognized for fostering collaborations that bridge commercial and defense technologies, with an emphasis on building American industrial capability and resilience. Velasco holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Analytics from Cal State Fullerton, College of Business and Economics, and has published on topics including simulation-based training and emerging technologies for extreme environments. His work and thought leadership, such as articles on the strategic imperatives facing the US in technological competition, reflect a mission-driven focus on national 📝sovereignty, supply chain resilience, and public-private collaboration.
Jay and I met at the 📝Venture Social Club launch party at 📝The SANDBOX in July 2025.