As Co-Founder and President of Strategic Growth Initiatives at Shield AI, Ryan Tseng spearheads engagement with U.S. and international defense leaders, as well as global aerospace and defense partners. He is best known for steering Shield AI from a startup to one of the rare multi-billion-dollar defense technology companies, having previously served as its CEO, where he raised over $1 billion and grew the team to 1,000 employees. His leadership focuses on mastering fundamentals and investing deeply in his team, believing, “The people on your team are everything. Love your people. Put their success first.”
Born in the U.S., Tseng earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at University of Florida and an MBA at MIT. Before Shield AI, Tseng founded and led WiPower, a wireless charging company acquired by Qualcomm. He holds over 20 patents and has been cited more than 2,000 times in technical literature. At Shield AI, he combines his technical expertise and strategic vision to lead senior-level outreach and growth initiatives, shaping the company’s influence in the national security space. Tseng’s technical rigor and early passion for entrepreneurship—sparked by youthful ventures and his father’s encouragement—have anchored his career.
Tseng approaches leadership and life with clear priorities: health, family, and work, in that order, though he candidly admits sacrificing sleep and workouts when stakes are high. His focus on fundamentals, inspired by his deep respect for the book Fundamentals of Electric Circuits, drives his teams to excel by building solutions from the ground up rather than borrowing others’ approaches. His passion for utility-scale renewable energy and a disciplined work ethic complement his mission to innovate defense technology, reflecting a leader who champions both human connection and technical mastery.