About the instructor
Jack Phillips
Former naval intelligence officer. Investor. Author of Markets with Jack.
Jack spent ten years on active duty as a naval intelligence officer, working on targeting, threat finance, and Iraqi security forces. He now applies the same methods to markets and teaches them in Boulder, Colorado.
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Naval intelligence
Jack was commissioned through Officer Candidate School in 2006 and served ten years on active duty and two in the Naval Reserve as an intelligence officer. He deployed five times, at sea with Carrier Air Wing 11 and on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.
His financial intelligence analysis was briefed to President Obama by the U.S. Treasury Department. He separated from active duty as a Lieutenant (O-3) and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander (O-4) in the Reserve.
- 2007–09Carrier Air Wing 11Imagery Officer and Assistant Targeting Officer
- 2009–10Afghan Threat Finance Cell, BagramSenior Analyst and DOMEX Analysis Team Lead
- 2010–13HQ U.S. Central CommandIraq Branch Team Chief, then Chief, Iraqi Security Forces Team
- 2012–13Office of Security Cooperation–Iraq, BaghdadSenior Intelligence Analyst with duty as Team Chief
- 2013–16U.S. Cyber CommandCombat Targets Global Branch Chief, then Executive Assistant to the JIOC Commander
- 2016–18U.S. Strategic Command, Naval ReserveDeputy Technical Analysis
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Markets and investing
Jack has been involved in digital assets since 2011. Since 2017 he has made 25 investments across 17 companies in diverse sectors, with a concentration in fintech, AI, and blockchain.
He co-founded Auguron Systems, which applied blockchain-based authentication methods and AI tools to build product prototypes, and in 2022 founded Hengecat Research in Boulder.
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Writing
Markets with Jack is a monthly macro intelligence briefing connecting rates, commodities, crypto, AI, and geopolitics into one analytical framework. Its centrepiece, the Market Compass, is a chart-heavy monthly note Jack has written since 2024.
He also writes the free How to Think About… essay series, on subjects from stablecoins to humanoid robots, and posts as @MarketswithJack on X.
Read Markets with JackIV
Teaching and speaking
Jack hosts a monthly market briefing in Boulder, with 300+ cumulative attendances across 60+ regulars. In 2026 he co-taught the six-session Asset Class Seminar Series; the ten-person cohort gave it an average quality rating of 4.9 of 5 and an average likelihood to recommend of 9.6 of 10.
He spoke on angel investing at Boulder Startup Week 2026, which drew 147 registrations. In 2023 he joined the Rockies Venture Club delegation to the Balkan Tech Summit in Montenegro, and spoke on a panel about matching Balkan startups with American investors.
Boulder Startup Week 2026 · Talk
Inside the Mind of an Angel Investor
- When
- Friday, May 8, 2026 · 9:00–10:00 AM
- Where
- The Brand Studios at CU, Boulder
- Track
- Fundraising, Founder-Specific
- Registered
- 147
“Angels aren't VCs. Every angel invests their own money, which means every angel has a different answer to: why am I writing this check?”
View the session listing
Balkan Tech Summit 2023 · Panel
Matching Balkan Need & Investor Feed
- When
- Tuesday, October 17, 2023
- Where
- Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort, Kotor, Montenegro
- Panel
- Judy Reinke, U.S. Ambassador to Montenegro · Barbara T. Bauer, Women's Investor Network · Jack Phillips, Rockies Venture Club · Vladimir Jokić, Mayor of Kotor
- Moderator
- Peter Adams, Balkan Tech Fund
Part of a four-day summit for American investors launching the Balkan Tech Fund. Photo: Balkan Tech Fund.
View the Balkan Tech Fund post
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Education
B.S. in Computer Science, magna cum laude, Bucknell University. Graduate coursework in machine learning through Stanford's Center for Professional Development, completed while serving at U.S. Cyber Command.
The course
Learn the framework with Jack.
A new four-week course each month, at one table in Boulder.