Judson Kauffman

Judson Kauffman is the CEO and Co-founder of Terradepth, an ocean technology company based in Austin, Texas. Here are some key details about his background and career:

Military Experience

Judson spent the first decade after high school serving in the U.S. Navy as a Navy SEAL. He deployed three times to Iraq during his military service from 2002 to 2010.1

Education

He holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business, which he completed from 2014 to 2016.1

Entrepreneurial Career

After leaving the military, Judson embarked on an entrepreneurial path:

• In 2012, he co-founded Exbellum, an advisory firm focused on human capital issues, which he sold in 2018.1

• In 2017, he co-founded Desert Door, a distillery in Texas that produces sotol, a distilled spirit made from wild-harvested Texas plants.14

• In 2018, Judson co-founded Terradepth with Joe Wolfel, another former Navy SEAL he had met during training in 2004.13

Terradepth

As CEO and Co-founder of Terradepth, Judson is working to revolutionize ocean exploration and data collection. The company's mission is to create a scalable autonomous deep-ocean data collection system.2 Terradepth aims to:

• Map and understand the ocean at an unprecedented scale
• Create immersive virtual models of the underwater environment
• Provide valuable data for industries like global telecom, clean energy, and national security3

Judson and his co-founder raised $8 million in seed funding from Seagate Technology to launch Terradepth.2

Philosophy and Approach

Judson emphasizes the importance of purpose-driven entrepreneurship and believes in leveraging technology to connect humanity with the ocean and advance sustainable practices.34 His experiences in the military have shaped his leadership style and approach to building high-performing teams.