Hi, I'm Rob Waters - Co-Founder, CTO at Kanawai AI
I thrive where technology meets high-stakes challenges, fueling my passion for building secure, intelligent systems that drive real change. I am most energized by rigorous environments that demand big-picture thinking.
At a glance
Curated signals on strengths, focus areas, and how they can help.
Spent six years at Google engineering secure, distributed infrastructure and managing complex sales for federal defense contracts.
Currently spearheading product architecture and strategic vision as the co-founder and CTO of an AI-powered legal tech startup.
Provides expert technical advisory for startups navigating the intersection of federal procurement, security compliance, and AI.
🚀 Career trajectory
Cybersecurity Foundations
Started by mastering systems engineering and defensive security architecture within the tech industry.
✦ Systems Engineer
✦ Cybersecurity Specialist
Scaling Cloud at Google
Expanded influence by driving large-scale sales and engineering efforts for AI and data analytics.
✦ Google Cloud Specialist
✦ Public Sector Growth
Co-Founding Innovation
Transitioned to building an AI-native operating system designed to disrupt the legal industry.
✦ Co-Founder
✦ CTO
💪🏻 Superpowers
Architect of Secure Intelligence
Building robust AI systems that don't compromise on security or scale.
✦ Engineered secure edge-to-cloud infrastructure during a six-year Google tenure.
✦ Integrates cybersecurity protocols directly into generative AI deployment workflows.
✦ Designs systems capable of operating in highly regulated, resource-constrained environments.
Strategic Market Navigator
Bridging the gap between technical complexity and federal sales success.
✦ Orchestrated complex sales pipelines for Department of Defense and public sector contracts.
✦ Leads cross-functional teams to align technical product capabilities with critical institutional needs.
✦ Expert in capture management and high-stakes government procurement cycles.
Academic Catalyst
Empowering the next generation of business analytics leaders through mentorship.
✦ Serves as a Board Member for USC Marshall's Business Analytics graduate program.
✦ Translates complex ML concepts into actionable career and technical guidance.
✦ Facilitates collaborative knowledge exchange between industry practitioners and emerging talent.
I'm excited about
✦ I am looking to connect with fellow founders across AI + tech for B2B markets
I can help with
✦ I provide technical advisory for startups struggling to navigate federal procurement and compliance requirements.
✦ I offer strategic guidance on scaling AI architecture while maintaining enterprise-grade security standards.
✦ I mentor graduate-level students and early-career engineers looking to bridge business and technical domains.
I would love your help on
✦ I need advice on effective go-to-market strategies for vertical-specific AI operating systems.
✦ I am seeking feedback on scaling startup leadership teams during rapid product development phases.