Matt Markel
MEDIA CENTER
Entrepreneur | Corporate Leader | Investor | Author | Speaker | Engineer
About Matt
Dr. Matt Markel is a compelling speaker and TEDx presenter who makes complex topics clear and engaging. Rising from entry-level engineer to the C-suite, he has led multiple nine- and ten-figure businesses across technology and defense. Beyond the corporate world, he is a successful investor with interests in real estate, private equity, debt securities, and entertainment. Today, he provides strategic advice to businesses and professionals while also pursuing creative ventures—serving as an executive producer on an upcoming film and preparing to release a music album this fall, recorded during his time as a musician in Los Angeles.
Through his unconventional Anti-preneur program, Dr. Markel is reshaping how professionals think about wealth and success. Instead of urging people to quit their jobs and chase risky startups, he equips high achievers to thrive in their careers while building real financial independence. Blending hard-won lessons from the corporate world with the financial strategies of elite investors, the Anti-preneur framework provides a clear, practical path to lasting wealth—without the gamble of entrepreneurship.
In his corporate career, Dr. Markel has held senior leadership roles at the forefront of defense and autonomy. He served as Chief Technology Officer of Epirus Inc, a growth-stage defense technology company developing high-power microwave weapons for counter-drone applications, and as President and later CEO of Spartan Radar, where he led the company’s development in advanced sensing and commercial-vehicle products. He also brought his expertise to Ghost Autonomy as Vice President, where he created and led the radar division to advance collision avoidance for truly hands-free self-driving. Before that, he was the head of radar at Waymo, the Google self-driving car company.
Earlier, Dr. Markel was a Principal Engineering Fellow and Technical Director for Raytheon’s Advanced Electronic Warfare portfolio, as well as a Principal Investigator for radar and EW research at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. Before joining industry, he was the chief engineer for a portfolio of proprietary programs at the Air Force Research Laboratory, where he founded and led the groundbreaking Special Programs Threat Working Group. His technical depth and leadership have made him a recognized authority in radar, electronic warfare, and autonomous systems, serving on numerous national committees, including the GAO panel that created Best Practices for Evaluating Technology Readiness.
Dr. Markel’s contributions extend beyond the boardroom and office. He holds multiple patents and trade secrets in radar and defense technologies, and his thought leadership continues to shape both defense and commercial markets. He is also an adjunct instructor at the Blu University School of Business, focusing on finance education and money psychology for employee retention. Dr. Markel is the author of Radar for Fully Autonomous Driving, a bestselling technical resource, and co-author of Marketing for Leaders, launching in early 2026.
You don’t need to quit your job to build real wealth—you just need a smarter playbook.
Tired of being told the only way to achieve financial freedom is to launch a startup, go viral, or sell your soul to hustle culture?
Meet the Anti-preneur.
In this bold, practical, and no-BS guide, Dr. Matt Markel—C-suite leader and financial independence architect—flips the script on success. Anti-preneur is for high-earning professionals who love their careers but feel stuck financially. If you're watching less experienced people build wealth while you grind through W2 life, this book is your wake-up call—and your roadmap out.
You’ll learn how to:
- Redefine success on your own terms (and stop chasing everyone else’s)
- Turn your job into a wealth-building engine
- Adopt elite financial strategies without quitting your 9-to-5
- Build diversified income streams using entrepreneurial tools—without becoming one
- Escape the “retire tired” model and live a financially free life now
Packed with real stories, tactical frameworks, and the powerful KICKSTART program, Anti-preneur helps you master both sides of the wealth equation: a thriving career and financial independence.
This isn’t another rah-rah entrepreneurship book. It’s a revolution for the professionals, practitioners, and experts who keep the world running—and deserve to be rich for it.
"You’re not lazy. You’re not late.
You’re just missing a system!"
Listen to Dr. Matt Markel
Speaking at the historic Hagley Library—once home to early DuPont Company breakthroughs—Dr. Markel argued that while modern workplaces have evolved to address mental health, depression, and other once-taboo topics, financial education remains conspicuously absent. “Money is the final taboo topic in the workplace,” he told the intimate audience of thought leaders and changemakers. “We teach people how to earn it, but not what to do with it to become financially successful.”
Cut Through the Noise — Get Real Advice That Works
Forget generic business tips. Matt brings decades of experience as a tech and defense executive, trusted CEO advisor, and leader under pressure. In this concise, no-fluff booklet, he shares practical strategies for professionals who want to make smarter decisions—fast.
More Titles From Dr. Markel
Radar for Fully Autonomous Driving
This groundbreaking book unites the latest radar technologies and tools shaping fully autonomous vehicles, offering expert insights from industry leaders.
Marketing for Leaders
Coming Q1 2026
Defense Industry
Matt Markel Appointed CTO at Epirus
Matt Markel has joined Epirus as the company’s new chief technology officer. In his new position, Markel will use his experience in sensing software and perception capabilities to spearhead the development of Epirus’ portfolio of microwave systems for short range air defense, the company announced Thursday.
This giant microwave may change the future of war
Imagine: China deploys hundreds of thousands of autonomous drones in the air, on the sea, and under the water—all armed with explosive warheads or small missiles. These machines descend in a swarm toward military installations on Taiwan and nearby US bases, and over the course of a few hours, a single robotic blitzkrieg overwhelms...
"Defending against these threats means being prepared to handle multiple threats simultaneously, as even a single breach can cause serious damage"
- Epirus Chief Technology Officer Dr. Matt Markel
Autonomous Driving
"Financial Times: Future of the Car Summit 2020 - automotive technology panel"
Dr. Matt Markel of Waymo, Torsten Lehmann of NXP, and Glen De Vos of Aptiv delve into how recent advances in automotive radar are reshaping the way vehicles “see” the environment around them. Learn how radar is evolving and the differences in its implementation between mass production OEMs or a companies at the frontier of Autonomous driving. See how this rapidly evolving technology promises to transform safety on the roadways of the world.
"The Road Ahead for Imaging Radar”
This panel highlighted the importance and future potential of 4D Imaging Radar technology, its impact on the automotive market today, and its future possibilities. It featured industry experts Dr. Matt Markel, Vice President of Radar Systems at Ghost Autonomy, Johan Lassing, CEO of Qamcom, Gonen Barkan, Radar Lead at General Motors, Ram Machness, Chief Business Officer at Arbe, and was moderated by Kobi Marenko, Co-Founder and CEO at Arbe.
Ask the Expert: Will people ever trust driverless cars?
On Ask the Expert, Dr. Matt Markel joined the KRLD Afternoon News. He is a Radar Technology & Self-Driving Car Expert... as well as the Author of Radar for Fully Autonomous Driving and CEO of Spartan Radar. He shared with Kristin Diaz and David Rancken where this technology is headed and whether people will eventually learn to feel safe with it.
A Stumbling Block or Stepping Stone to Full Autonomy?
Dr. Matt Markel, Business Leader, Radar & Autonomy Expert with experience at Waymo and in the defense industry joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the NHTSA mandate requiring AEB (automatic emergency braking) systems in all new light vehicles by 2029 and what impact this mandate will have on the development of autonomous vehicles.
Operating a tractor-trailer rig is fraught with uncertainty in any kind of setting. But it gets a lot worse when entering the cramped quarters typical of many delivery points, causing safety risk to skyrocket. Working with Spartan Radar, Phillips Connect is adding advanced sensing capability to give drivers a new level of situational awareness of hazards beside and behind the trailer...
In The Works
What Matt's Clients Say
