Connecting Emerging Aviation
Startups with Capital

Dr. Delore Zimmerman has extensive experience working with companies and organizations across the Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) ecosystem. Since 2004 his work has focused on connecting industry, government, and investment partners to support the growth of UAS technologies and applications in sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, and logistics. He has been actively engaged in advancing regional UAS innovation, supporting commercialization efforts, and helping align emerging technologies with economic development strategies. He co-manages the Red River Corridor Fund, which focuses on investing in emerging entrepreneurs and growing companies with exciting ideas and high potential in the uncrewed aircraft systems, advanced air mobility, and agtech industries.

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Joshua Ganye serves as Project Coordinator for the UAS Angel Network. He brings a wealth of experience in banking and community development to his role. Prior to joining the team, Joshua held the position of Financial Empowerment Program Assistant at the City of Tulsa’s Office of Financial Empowerment & Community Wealth.

A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, he is currently pursuing a master’s in accounting at the University of Illinois.

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Robert is Manager of CimarronVC, a direct investor in technology companies. He also serves as a Managing Director of Cimarron Capital Partners and of Development Capital Networks (DCN), two affiliated firms with over 30 years of experience in development lending and equity investing. He is a pioneer in designing innovative programs that drive economic development by attracting capital and business-building talent to local economies.

His leadership at DCN has included launch of Cowboy Technology Angels, the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Cluster Initiative for Oklahoma and Kansas, the Droneport Network, and Red River Corridor Fund.

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Anthony Maher is a Silicon Valley–based investor and advisor focused on early-stage technology companies, with a background spanning venture capital, corporate development, and startup ecosystem building. Most recently, he led startup growth and financing initiatives at the University of North Dakota (UND) Center for Innovation, where he developed accelerator programs, supported venture formation, built relationships with venture capital and angel investors, and contributed to securing and deploying capital through grants and strategic initiatives.

Prior to that, Anthony was a founding member of Mustang Ventures, the venture capital arm of Siemens Communications Networks, and later led a global team of analysts at Siemens Venture Capital. His work focused on sourcing, evaluating, and investing in early-stage technology companies, as well as managing global deal flow and portfolio processes.

He began his career in corporate development in Munich, Germany with Siemens and has since advised a range of international technology companies on strategy and growth. Anthony holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

Jennifer “JJ” Snow is a retired Air Force Intelligence Officer and CEO of Snow Storm Advisory Services. In this role, JJ provides access for dual use startups and corporate boards looking to sell into the DoD, US Government, and Allied Partner nations. She help teams to grow by leveraging value-based relationships from her personal network (~25K) to create the widest market access possible and connect them with nondilutive capital opportunities with the USG/DoD to preserve equity and enhance early stage growth. She is a member of the Board of Advisors for LMI, Social Mobile and the JANUS group Advisory Board for the NATO Diana Accelerator. JJ also is on the George Kaiser Family Foundation Tulsa Innovation Lab Cyber Analytics Council and AAM Council.

JJ works across 90+ private sector investors (VCs, Angels and Family Offices), and several hundred public and private sector stakeholders, promoting strong, consistent growth and competitive moats (acquisition vehicles and policy points) that ensure each corporate client’s right to win.

JJ served as the Chief Technology Officer for AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force and the military Chief Innovation Officer for SOFWERX at Special Operations Command. She was the military representative for total force innovation and technology outreach bridging the gap between government and private sector, academic and non-traditional partners. In this role she reviewed, validated and recommended 2300 early stage technologies for investment, meeting 43 different requirement areas and resulting in $710M invested in innovative emerging tech and small business initiatives across the DoD, Interagency and USAF programs.

JJ served three combat tours with AFSOC, JSOC, and SOCOM/NCR in Afghanistan and Iraq and has held multiple leadership roles with special operations and special mission units. She is a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School Defense Analysis Masters program, distinguished graduate of NSA’s elite JOCCP program and an alumni of the UVA Darden School Executive Course.

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