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Rich Washburn

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About

Technologist • Strategist • AI Infrastructure Leader • Builder

35+ years at the intersection of enterprise systems, cybersecurity, infrastructure, artificial intelligence, and capital.

For more than 35 years, I have designed, investigated, secured, integrated, and advised on complex technology systems—from enterprise infrastructure and digital forensics to artificial intelligence, embedded hardware, and high-performance compute.

I spent approximately 15 years in digital forensics, led high-stakes investigations, served as an expert witness, and helped manage technology integrations through more than two dozen corporate mergers.

Today, my work focuses on AI strategy, agentic systems, enterprise transformation, rapid prototyping, technical diligence, and the physical infrastructure required to deploy advanced computing at scale.

Some days that means strategy, capital, and executive decision-making.

Other days it means building an agent, writing firmware, prototyping hardware, or tearing apart an idea until the real constraint becomes obvious. 

I am comfortable in both rooms.

Current Work - Eliakim Capital

Managing Partner and Chief AI Officer

I lead AI strategy, technical architecture, and technology-focused diligence across investments and advisory engagements.

My role is to determine whether an idea can survive contact with engineering, security, economics, operations, and reality.

AgentIQ / ACRA

Co-Builder

I help build the Agent Commerce Readiness Audit, a platform that evaluates how prepared brands are for AI-mediated discovery, recommendation, and purchasing.

AI Infrastructure Advisory

I advise manufacturers, operators, investors, and infrastructure providers working across AI compute, mission-critical power, cooling, data-center systems, resilience, and deployment strategy. AI infrastructure is not simply a hardware or power problem. It is a systems-alignment problem.

 

What I Do

AI Strategy and Enterprise Transformation

I help organizations move beyond isolated AI tools and pilots toward systems that change how work is actually performed.

Architecture and Technical Diligence

I evaluate systems, vendors, investments, and deployment plans to determine what is real, what is missing, and what is likely to fail.

Rapid Prototyping

I turn ideas into working systems—agents, applications, workflows, embedded devices, and functional prototypes.

Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics

My investigative background shapes how I design systems: not only how they work, but how they fail, how they can be abused, and what evidence they leave behind.

Infrastructure and Compute

I advise on compute, power, cooling, resilience, security, and the physical constraints behind AI deployment.

How I Work

The technology is rarely the hardest part. The real challenge is understanding the people, incentives, economics, dependencies, and operational constraints surrounding it. 

I translate between executives, engineers, investors, operators, and end users—and then help turn that translation into a working system.

I move quickly, but I do not confuse speed with carelessness.

Complexity is acceptable. Confusion is not.

Why I Do It

Technology should expand human capability, not merely automate existing processes or reduce headcount. I care about clarity, agency, and building things that make sense.

Operating Principles

Question assumptions before optimizing them.

A working prototype beats a beautiful theory.

Do not mistake vocabulary for competence.

Humor is the checksum for sanity.

TL;DR

I design, evaluate, and build systems at the intersection of AI, enterprise technology, cybersecurity, infrastructure, and capital. I help leaders move from ambition to implementation without losing the original idea somewhere between the strategy deck, the engineering team, and physical reality. 

If you are building something real, unusual, or difficult to categorize, we will probably get along.

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Eliakim Capital

[ Recent "Developments" ]
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© 2018 Rich Washburn

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