Jason Illian is the Managing Director of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the mid-to-late stage venture arm of Koch Industries. KDT’s role is to invest in technology companies that disrupt and transform Koch’s core businesses and expand into new platforms and capabilities. Artificial intelligence, blockchain and crypto, bio IT and genomics, and industrial robotics are just a few segments being explored by KDT. Jason serves on the board of Mesosphere, a hybrid cloud company with notable clients such as Cisco, Uber, JP Morgan and many more.

Prior to assuming this role, Mr. Illian was the Founder and CEO of BookShout, the world's leading B2B e-book company which was acquired by Ambassador Enterprises, a private equity group. In addition to his CEO role, Jason was a Senior Advisor/Entrepreneur-in-Residence to Ambassador Enterprises for all their technology assets and potential acquisitions.

Jason is also a published author and nationally-renown speaker. Jason has presented at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference, the Credit Suisse Global Media and Communications Convergence Conference, and hundreds of other organizations. He has been featured on ABC, The New York Times, and done numerous radio interviews.

Jason graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas Christian University with a BBA in International Finance. He continued his education with TCU and the London School of Economics, held the distinguished honor of being named one of the top 20 students in America by USA Today, was a Rhodes scholar finalist, and was an NCAA Academic All-American while being captain of the TCU football team.

In his free time, Jason loves playing sports, reading, and spending time with his wife, Alisha and his three rambunctious kids, Reign, Sage, and Rogue. He lives in Wichita, KS.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch Industries, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America with estimated annual revenues as high as $100 billion, according to Forbes. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in refining, chemicals, and biofuels; forest and consumer products; fertilizers; polymers and fibers; process and pollution control systems; electronics, software and data analytics; minerals; glass; automotive components; ranching; commodity trading; and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested nearly $100 billion in acquisitions and other capital expenditures. With a presence in 50 countries, Koch companies employ nearly 120,000 people worldwide, with about 65,000 of those in the United States. From January 2009 to present, Koch companies have earned more than 1,300 awards for safety, environmental excellence, community stewardship, innovation, and customer service.