Argon Mechatronics

Lainey Corliss

CEO

Lainey Corliss is a strategic partnerships and emerging technology professional based in Austin, Texas, with 20 years of experience spanning government, academia, and industry.
She currently serves as Commercial Aerospace Program Manager for the Texas Space Commission, supporting the state's mission to expand Texas's role in the global space economy across civil, commercial, military, and academic initiatives.

Prior to the Commission, Lainey managed industry and research partnerships at The University of Texas at Austin, securing funding for programs such as Texas Robotics and the Machine Learning Lab, and advancing research in robotics, autonomous systems, quantum computing, and ethical AI — work aimed at both strengthening national security and accelerating technology commercialization.

Lainey has also served as a Senior Advisor for Career Education Corporation, a Lecturer at the McCombs School of Business, and Planning and Zoning Commissioner for the City of Cedar Park. She holds degrees from Iowa State University and Northern Arizona University, and a Contract Law Specialist Certificate from The University of Texas.
Lainey is passionate about building collaborative ecosystems that bridge research, industry, and government, and helping to drive sustainable growth, competitiveness, and opportunity across Texas's rapidly evolving technology, finance, and defense sectors.

Zaib Husain

Chairperson

Zaib Husain is an entrepreneur, investor, and financial professional based in Austin, Texas. With over 25 years of experience in finance, she has been active in both business and non-profit sectors.

As head of her family office, Hyder Ventures, and a founding partner at Global Venture Bridge, Zaib invests in and advises startups globally. Her entrepreneurial ventures include founding Makerarm, a desktop robotic fabrication system. She also currently serves as an Advisor to Tau Systems, a high energy laser company based in Austin, Texas. She is an investor in nearly two dozen startups and maintains active engagement throughout her portfolio.

Zaib's financial background includes roles at Dun & Bradstreet and Enron, where she served as Lead Financial Analyst and Financial Analyst in the Commercial Transactions Group. Early in her career, Zaib also held a position as Investment Analyst at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.

Active in community service, Zaib serves on the advisory council for the College of Engineering at University of Texas at Austin, as Finance Chair for GlobalAustin and as a National Foundation STEM Advisory Board Member for the Boy Scouts of America.

Zaib completed her BA in Finance from The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and her MA in Finance from The University of London.

Amir Husain

Board Director

Amir Husain is a serial entrepreneur, veteran AI technologist, and author based in Austin, Texas. He has received widespread acclaim for his pioneering work, including Austin’s Top Entrepreneur award and inclusion in Austin’s 40 Under 40. His ventures have been lauded with CNBC’s fastest growing company awards and numerous other international recognitions.

Under Amir’s leadership, SparkCognition achieved a unicorn valuation, marking a significant milestone in its journey. As the Founder and Executive Board Member of this award-winning AI company, Amir led the firm from its inception until the end of 2023.

Besides his contributions to SparkCognition, he also holds board positions at SpecFive, a mesh networking company, and Navigate, a data platform.

Amir founded the defense technology company SGS, chaired by former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Robert Work, and served as Founder, CEO, and Board Director of SkyGrid, a joint venture with Boeing.

An avid inventor, Amir has been awarded over 30 patents in AI and distributed systems. He serves on UT Austin’s Computer Science Board, NATO’s Innovation Advisory Board and the Board of Global Venture Bridge, fostering international entrepreneurial collaboration. His work has been featured in world-leading publications such as the BBC, Fortune, Forbes, and Proceedings from the U.S. Naval Institute.

He is the author of the best-selling book “The Sentient Machine,” a co-author of “Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century,” and has recently published two new books, “Generative Art” and “Generative AI for Leaders.”

Lainey Corliss

CEO

Zaib Husain

Chairperson

Zaib Husain is an entrepreneur, investor, and financial professional based in Austin, Texas. With over 25 years of experience in finance, she has been active in both business and non-profit sectors.

As head of her family office, Hyder Ventures, and a founding partner at Global Venture Bridge, Zaib invests in and advises startups globally. Her entrepreneurial ventures include founding Argon Mechatronics. She also currently serves as an Advisor to Tau Systems, a high energy laser company based in Austin, Texas. She is an investor in nearly thirty startups and maintains active engagement throughout her portfolio.

Zaib's financial background includes roles at Dun & Bradstreet and Enron, where she served as Lead Financial Analyst and Financial Analyst in the Commercial Transactions Group.

Active in community service, Zaib serves on the advisory council for the College of Engineering at University of Texas at Austin, as Finance Chair for GlobalAustin and as a National Foundation STEM Advisory Board Member for Scouting.org.

Zaib completed her BA in Finance from The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin and her MA in Finance from The University of London.

Amir Husain

Board Director

Amir Husain is a serial entrepreneur, veteran AI technologist, and author based in Austin, Texas. He has received widespread acclaim for his pioneering work, including Austin's Top Entrepreneur award, inclusion in Austin's 40 Under 40, and CNBC's fastest growing company awards.

As Founder and Executive Board Member of SparkCognition, an award-winning AI company that achieved a unicorn valuation, Amir led the firm from its inception until the end of 2023. He also founded the defense technology company SGS, chaired by former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work, and served as Founder, CEO, and Board Director of SkyGrid, a joint venture with Boeing. He additionally holds board positions at SpecFive, a mesh networking company, and Navigate, a data platform.

An avid inventor with over 30 patents in AI and distributed systems, Amir serves on UT Austin's Computer Science Board, NATO's Innovation Advisory Board, and the Board of Global Venture Bridge, fostering international entrepreneurial collaboration. His work has been featured in world-leading publications such as the BBC, Fortune, and Forbes, as well as Proceedings from the U.S. Naval Institute.

He is the author of the bestselling "The Sentient Machine" and co-author of "Hyperwar: Conflict and Competition in the AI Century," "Generative Art," "Generative AI for Leaders," and "The Cybernetic Society."

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