"Raven was born out of passion for U.S. national security. Like so many Americans, I was profoundly impacted by the events of 9/11. As a result, my career has been spent supporting projects focused on keeping the U.S. safe and secure. Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of serving alongside and learning from retired defense, intelligence, and special operations personnel while supporting U.S. government customers. These experiences have helped me understand both the challenges and opportunities facing U.S. national security, shaping my desire to bring the best that technology and academia have to offer. For me, this is not just a job. It's a calling. The U.S. is the greatest nation in the world, enjoying freedoms that are unrivalled, precious, and worth defending. Many have given their very lives to defend these freedoms. My hope for Raven is that we would make meaningful contributions to U.S. national security through innovation, giving our soldiers, operators, analysts, and decision makers the edge they need and deserve."
---- James Tharp, Founder/CEO
James serves as the CEO of Raven Technologies, LLC (Raven), which he founded in 2022. He has 15 years of Government contracting experience in market research, business development, capture, proposals, operations, and portfolio management supporting the U.S. Defense, Intelligence, and Special Operations communities. He began his career in government contracting as an Analyst at GovWin, researching, identifying, and tracking thousands of DoD opportunities for small and large business clients. After GovWin, James worked at SOS International (SOSi) as a Proposal Coordinator, supporting the development of bids for DoD customers including SOCOM, CENTCOM, and DIA for language, stability operations, intelligence, and strategic communications services.
After SOSi, James worked at Kingfisher Systems for 10 years in a variety of roles to include Proposal Manager, Portfolio Manager, and Director of Business Development. As a Proposal Manager, he managed bids for SOCOM, CENTCOM, DIA, Army G-2, 16th AF, and IC customers for cybersecurity, intelligence, counterinsurgency, IT, data analytics, SATCOM, and logistics services. As a Portfolio Manager, he managed a portfolio of DIA, AF, DISA, and JWAC contracts. James was also the Corporate PM for strategic IDIQs including DIA SITE III, Army ITES-3S, and Army RS3. As a Director of Business Development, he served as the corporate lead for AF and COCOMs, with a focus on SOCOM and CENTCOM, for cybersecurity, intelligence, IT, and analytics services.
He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from Furman University, an MBA in Finance from The University of South Carolina (UofSC), and a Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics from UofSC. James holds the following certifications: PMP, Sec+, CSM, ITIL 4 Foundation, and CF APMP.