Building ventures and operational resilience at the intersection of entrepreneurship, national security, and disaster response.

Jesse Levin is the Founder of Tactivate, a venture that integrates principles from disaster response, Special Operations veterans, and entrepreneurial ecosystems to build ventures and execute readiness, response, and economic stabilization efforts in contested and disrupted environments. He has co-founded venture-backed businesses and helped launch nationally recognized initiatives, including the first co-working concept in the fitness industry and the country’s first pop-up outdoor survival training bar. Jesse has advised and supported NGOs in scaling their operations, including serving as Team Rubicon’s first Corporate Development and Partnerships lead during its early growth. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum (DEF), advancing innovation and civic engagement in national security. Through Tactivate, Jesse has led expeditionary deployments in Haiti, the Philippines, Ukraine, Latin America, and beyond—supporting communities at the edge of stability. His work has been featured in CNN, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Bloomberg, FastCo, and studied by CNA. He continues to invest in and launch mission-driven ventures, support NGOs, and speak on entrepreneurial models for building resilience and navigating complex humanitarian and conflict environments.