Kevin Liu Huang

## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Kevin Liu Huang Title: Founder & Managing Partner Fund: Refracted Capital Background: Kevin Liu Huang is a Marine and entrepreneur currently based in Buffalo, New York. He is building things and learning as he goes, with a focus on acquiring and operating mission-critical companies in logistics, software, or government technology & services through Refracted Capital, where he is Founder and Managing Partner. He is also a Regional Information Operations Team OIC for the United States Marine Corps, providing subject-matter expertise to support operations in the information environment. His background includes an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business (c/o '23) and a B.A. in Government and Statistics from Harvard University (cum laude). Key skills include Sales, Sales Pipeline Development, Research, Data Analysis, Military Logistics, and Strategy. He is also fluent in Chinese. **Notable Posts:** * **January 29, 2026 (3 weeks ago):** Kevin marked his "10 years in the United States Marine Corps," with "a little over 4 years of that has been on active duty, including time at the Pentagon and overseas in Peru, Latvia, Lithuania, Korea, and (most recently) Qatar." He shared a photo from his time at Officer Candidate School and ended with "#marines #military #veterans". * **November 11, 2025 (3 months ago):** He posted about "Happy Veterans Day! We spent the Marine Corps birthday/Veterans Day running it out for Buffalo and with a morning lift alongside our trusty sidekick, Hoochu. #veterans #military #marinecorps". * **October 16, 2025 (4 months ago):** Kevin shared an observation: "The best investors: pessimists. The best entrepreneurs: optimists. The best search fund operators: borderline schizophrenics who can flip between the two as needed." * **October 7, 2025 (4 months ago):** He announced his role as an Ambassador for the Veterans Race to support the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park. He highlighted Buffalo as his "new home" where he and his wife launched Integral Health and Refracted Capital, and mentioned his deployment to Qatar where his "friends and neighbors (as well as soups from her favorite restaurant Cole's) made sure she never felt alone or worried. That kind of care is what “community” really means." * **October 1, 2025 (4 months ago):** Kevin gave advice on cold calling, stating that "cold calling isn't a lost art; it's just painful and sometimes gets you yelled at." He advised to "Arm yourself with a solid script," "Keep all the information you need on a single screen," and remember that "Getting screamed at isn't a big deal. You've probably been through worse (as has everyone who's been in the United States Marine Corps). Life goes on." He concluded with "#coldcalling #sales #searchfund #eta". * **September 18, 2025 (5 months ago):** He humorously observed Buffalo culture: "Only in Buffalo do schools let out at 11am and professionals cancel work for the day because the Buffalo Bills are playing at 8:15pm at Highmark Stadium. Am pretty sure all the tailgating has been going on since noon... Go Bills!" * **September 4, 2025 (5 months ago):** Kevin shared a "Hot take re: defense tech: I believe we're way too bullish on drones, not bullish enough on cyber." He argued that "drones can take pieces off the chess board, but cyber weapons get you to checkmate," and suggested that the defense tech market's priorities are "overfunding drones, underfunding cyber." * **August 20, 2025 (6 months ago):** He officially launched Refracted Capital, stating his mission: "acquire and operate mission-critical companies (logistics, software, and government technology & services)." He emphasized that "After years serving in no-fail environments - the United States Marine Corps, Visa, and Pallet - I've learned there are industries where execution must be 100% right, every time - and AI isn't going to solve these management problems." He hopes to "partner with business owners who want a smart, humble, and battle-tested leader to carry their legacy forward." * **August 7, 2025 (6 months ago):** Kevin reflected on joining the Marine Corps: "When I signed up to join the United States Marine Corps as an officer, I deliberately chose not to educate myself about the training curriculum... All I knew while riding the bus to Quantico was that, in the end, I had faith it would all be worth it to become a Marine officer. Armed with that faith, you become invincible." * **July 29, 2025 (6 months ago):** He discussed the importance of sales in startups, noting, "Did you know Stanford University Graduate School of Business doesn't teach sales?" He credits his experience as a Founding Account Executive at Pallet for building a "$1.5M pipeline in just three months." He advises "recovering founders and transitioning veterans alike thinking about startups" to "take a hard look at a stint in sales. Because if you aren't actively building the product, you better be out there selling it." * **July 28, 2025 (6 months ago):** Kevin revealed the decision to "shut down Dextral, a SaaS for using AI to discover and win government contracts." He said, "We had a product, revenue, and interested investors, but I never had the conviction to pull the trigger on raising money. I wasn't convinced the problem had a VC-backable solution." He concluded by emphasizing, "I didn't iterate fast enough. I'm keeping that in mind on this next go-round." * **July 24, 2025 (6 months ago):** He humorously pointed out a military Catch-22: "I can't get a top secret clearance because I'm not in a billet that requires a top secret clearance. Also, I can't get a billet that requires a top secret clearance because I don't have a top secret clearance. Classic military." * **July 23, 2025 (7 months ago):** Kevin stated his loyalty to Marines on LinkedIn: "Screw that. Any Marine who adds me, I'm adding back. And any Marine who needs something from me or my network, you got it." * **July 16, 2025 (7 months ago):** He announced, "Today’s my last day on active duty with the United States Marine Corps, detailed to U.S. Special Operations Command Central (SOCCENT)." He expressed mixed feelings: "Each time, I’ve left with a little regret but also brimming with excitement for the next step." * **July 14, 2025 (7 months ago):** Kevin shared a post about valuable mentorship he received from Brigadier General Mike Siegl during his deployment, highlighting how BG Siegl "became a great mentor of mine" and discussing defense logistics tech. He concluded, "Mentorship like this isn't scalable, but it's invaluable - and it builds great leaders and keeps junior team members excited about staying in the fight." * **July 10, 2025 (7 months ago):** He voiced frustration with Capital One, which he claims "fired me as a banking customer for being a servicemember and entrepreneur" due to "suspicious activity" (using a VPN overseas and starting a company). He advises, "If you have a checking and savings relationship with Capital One, I highly recommend you run (not walk) to the exit." * **July 7, 2025 (7 months ago):** Kevin criticized government software design, quoting Jennifer Pahlka: "'Project management is the art of getting things done. Product management is the art of deciding what to do in the first place.'" He described the typical bureaucratic response at the Pentagon to fixing software problems: "'We don't have a requirement to fix it.'" * **July 1, 2025 (7 months ago):** In a humorous repost, Kevin clarified, "Surprised I need to say this, but I was not personally involved with US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities...I am a logistics officer, not a B-2 pilot. 🤦‍♂️ And I am not a Chinese spy, but that's also what a Chinese spy would say, so... 🤷‍♂️". * **June 30, 2025 (7 months ago):** He shared insights from working with special operations forces (SOF), noting that "SOF actually walks the walk on new, innovative tech," "Rank doesn’t matter," and "Good ideas win." He concluded, "Working with SOF was a major culture adjustment for me because the Marine Corps is usually as broke as a joke, hence our extremely limited innovative endeavors." * **June 27, 2025 (7 months ago):** Kevin discussed the U.S. military's struggles with inventory management, observing, "You'd be surprised how much the U.S. military struggles to answer: 1. What stuff do we have? 2. Who is responsible for it? 3. Where's it all at?" He specifically criticized GCSS Army, stating, "The impact is that we can't move equipment to where it's needed." He warns, "A military that can't manage its inventory is one that can't win wars. #logistics #defense #army #socom #defensetech #inventory #logisticstech #defenselogistics". * **June 25, 2025 (7 months ago):** He shared his thoughts on the Iran nuclear facilities strike, concluding that "The mission was a failure" due to intelligence issues, "Nobody believes a CEO who brags about a marketing campaign with no metrics," and "There is a cost to showing off our technology to enemies." * **June 23, 2025 (8 months ago):** Kevin reflected on his deployment to the Middle East, noting geopolitical shifts and personal milestones: "Beat the odds (<2%) to get selected for Major from the below zone," "Earned my first Meritorious Service Medal," and "Raised $550,000 for my upcoming venture (while seeking cover under Iranian missiles)." He expressed excitement for the future. * **June 3, 2025 (8 months ago):** He praised Ukraine's use of drones in warfare, especially underwater drones targeting logistics infrastructure. He noted, "My loggie brothers and sisters know how quickly shutting down key infrastructure can cripple an enemy’s operational plans. Well done, Ukraine!" * **May 30, 2025 (8 months ago):** Kevin contrasted efficiency in commercial logistics with efficacy in defense logistics: "In defense, good logisticians brief efficiencies - but the best ones brief new capabilities." He stated, "the logistician who identifies the way to "yes" on a crazy, daring, non-scalable, wildly inefficient maneuver is the one who commands the room." * **May 26, 2025 (8 months ago):** He posted a Memorial Day reflection, honoring fallen Marines LCpl Quintin Bullock-Steffke, LCpl Dmitriy Kapelkin, and Maj Michael Whitaker, and stating, "But I'm proud to have worked closely with these Marines, and I know their service and their legacies will live on for at least as long as I can remember their names." * **April 23, 2025 (9 months ago):** Kevin expressed frustration with the slow pace of technological adoption in the U.S. military: "Yet my active duty experience hasn't changed a bit (especially the tools I use to get work done)... the more the world changes, the more the U.S. military stays the same. Despite the billions of dollars now flowing into my space. I'm frustrated." * **July 8, 2024 (1 year ago):** Kevin highlighted a disconnect in defense innovation: ""Technology is not a replacement for the uniformed service member in combat. However, the term "defense innovation" seems to refer exclusively to technology platforms designed to carry out military tasks in lieu of service members... But we haven't figured out how to modernize the systems that exist for keeping military service members and their families healthy, happy, and educated." He is "interviewing 100 1stSgts and SgtMajs in the United States Marine Corps... to learn what gaps we need to fill in order to make military life attractive once again." * **April 2, 2024 (1 year ago):** He discussed AI procurement in the DoD, suggesting that the DoD CDAO's strategy is a "buying signal for the data and API layers, the Replicator of our time for AI and analytics," rather than just app layer AI. * **March 25, 2024 (1 year ago):** Kevin shared insights from his experience with Dextral and government contracts, concluding that while there's a business in AI for government RFP capture, it's "not a venture backable one." He emphasized that "A significant proportion of high-value government contracts kick off the procurement process AFTER an extensive BD effort, meaning the RFP stage is often too late." * **March 11, 2024 (1 year ago):** He critiqued the term "military grade": "the more we learn about DoD data infrastructure, the more I think 'military grade' just means 'built for a past era.'" * **February 12, 2024 (2 years ago):** Kevin pitched Dextral at the MilVet Startup Conference at the Marines' Memorial Hotel, noting his frustration "by how little modern technology is accessible to the government." He stated, "Dextral is building a new way for individual warfighters to discover, test, and design their own secure software and AI automations, all without needing to code 👨‍💻 or be procurement experts." * **January 30, 2024 (2 years ago):** He celebrated Dextral's feature in Bessemer Venture Partners' Defense Tech Market Map. * **January 29, 2024 (2 years ago):** Kevin reposted about the "tragedy of Stanford GSB students voting down a Defense Technology club," inviting Stanford-affiliated defense-types to "Not Defense Tech." * **January 29, 2024 (2 years ago):** He shared condensed advice from his network on taking risks as a founder, including points like "Start Small, Aim Big," "Purpose Trumps Fear," and "Mitigate, Mitigate, Mitigate." * **January 25, 2024 (2 years ago):** Kevin congratulated Noah Sheinbaum and Jeff Decker on their research detailing "the top barriers companies face to starting up and scaling up in the Department of Defense." * **January 25, 2024 (2 years ago):** He outlined his vision for AI in the DoD, hoping for solutions that are "Procured rather than built in-house," involve "Many interoperable winners rather than just a few locked-in primes," are "Highly secure," and are "Augmenting (but not replacing) on-the-ground warfighters." Fund details: - Description: Our mission: acquire and operate a single mission-critical company in the logistics, software, or government technology & services industries. - Website: www.refractedcapital.com - Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =Refracted Capital Kevin Liu Huang recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Kevin Liu Huang founded Refracted Capital to acquire and operate a mission-critical U.S. company, focusing on logistics, software, or government technology. He combines military discipline with entrepreneurial creativity. Refracted Capital aims for long-term growth, not quick profits.