John Dean

John Dean is the Cofounder and CEO of WindBorne Systems, a company focused on revolutionizing weather prediction through innovative balloon technology and AI-driven forecasting.12

Background and Education

John attended Stanford University, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering.1 During his time at Stanford, he served as the Co-President of the Stanford Student Space Initiative, which later gave rise to WindBorne.13

Professional Experience

Prior to founding WindBorne, John gained valuable experience through various internships and roles:

• Autonomous Driving Intern at Lyft
• Hardware Development Intern at SpaceX, working on Falcon 9 main engine controls
• Engineering Intern at NASA Ames Research Center
• Visiting Researcher at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute13

WindBorne Systems

In February 2019, John co-founded WindBorne Systems along with Andrew Sushko and Kai Marshland.12 The company's mission is to address the fundamental limitations in weather prediction by developing a world record-breaking balloon system that can fly 200 times longer than traditional weather balloons.1

WindBorne's technology combines simple-but-powerful hardware with sophisticated software to create a highly efficient data collection tool. Their balloons can collect 150 times more data per dollar than alternatives, with the potential to reach 10,000 times more efficient in the future.2

As CEO, John has leveraged his background in machine learning and convex optimization to develop AI weather forecasts and autonomous balloon flight software.3 Under his leadership, WindBorne has attracted investments from notable venture capital firms such as Footwork, Khosla Ventures, and Pear VC.2

John's expertise and WindBorne's innovative approach to weather forecasting have garnered attention from major media outlets. He has been featured in discussions about the future of weather prediction, including an interview with The Wall Street Journal.45