Rapta is delighted to announce that Mark Bigham has joined our advisory board. Mark is an Advisor to innovative defense and intelligence focused startups. He mentors C-Level company officers in a wide variety of growth matters. Mark is passionate about rapidly operationalizing innovative technology to give US war fighters an unfair advantage.
Mark was the former Chief Innovation Officer at Raytheon Company’s Intelligence and Information Services (IIS). In this role, he worked across Raytheon to develop better solutions for customers and foster innovation. His oversight covered advanced concepts and technology, venture capital investment and strategic IRAD campaigns to create revolutionary capabilities for strategically significant customers.
Prior to that role, he was vice president of business development for Defense and Civil Mission Solutions (DCMS), Raytheon. In that role, Bigham established Raytheon as a leader in UAV C2 systems, Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), airborne SIGINT sensors, multi-INT ground systems and ISR battlespace management.
Prior to joining Raytheon Company in 2005, Bigham served as the vice president of business development responsible for developing the strategy, marketing, and research and development for L-3 ComCept Division.
Bigham co-founded a start-up company, ComCept, Inc, in 1999, developing machine to machine collaboration technology. This culminated in successful exit in 2003. While at ComCept, he led the creation of the Network Centric Collaborative Targeting (NNCT) advanced concept technology demonstration. Bigham served as the company thought leader in advanced network centric warfare concepts and techniques. He played a key role on the Board of Directors and executive leadership team guiding ComCept through successful acquisition by L-3 Communications.
Bigham was also director of business development for the Tactical Reconnaissance Division of Raytheon Company from 1995 to 1999, where he led strategic planning, marketing, research and development, and proposal activities to upgrade and expand the RC-135 airborne reconnaissance fleet. He coordinated customer and legislative strategy and led the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance integration team during Raytheon’s acquisition of E-Systems, Hughes Aircraft and Texas Instruments Defense.
From 1987 to 1995, Bigham held several positions with E-Systems Tactical Reconnaissance Division, supporting the Air Force’s Big Safari program. He led several systems engineering teams responsible for developing, deploying and maintaining the Tactical Information Broadcast Service (TIBS), Proforma and the Commanders Tactical Terminal/Hybrid (CTT/H) secure tactical satellite communication system.
Bigham joined the U.S. Air Force as an electronic intelligence analyst in 1979 stationed in Berlin, Germany. He spent over 8 years in Berlin becoming, an Operations Mission Supervisor overseeing the multi-intelligence operations at the 6912th Electronic Security Group. He also became the 1st Area Specialist to fly on the AWACS developing important new CONOPs, flew numerous combat missions, a Tactical Operations Controller and program manager developing new intelligence systems. Bigham is a graduate of the intermediate and advanced cryptologic courses at the National Security Agency (NSA).
Bigham has authored/co-authored several papers on advanced concepts including; AI Centric Warfare, Network Centric Warfare, Sensor to Shooter, Tactical Edge, My View Mixed Reality, Integrated Fires the Art of Warfare at the speed of light and social media, big data, analytics and foreign policy.