Daniel Shires is a retired Army Special Operations officer with twenty-one years of service, seventeen of which were spent in U.S. Special Operations Command leading teams in complex, high-stakes environments across the globe. Entrusted with unique individual taskings that demanded both strategic judgment and operational precision, he developed an instinct for decision-making under ambiguity that few advisors can offer.

He concluded his military service in two successive leadership roles at 1st Special Forces Command - first as Chief of Force Modernization, then as Chief of Innovation and Technology - where he built direct experience bridging the gap between emerging technology and operational requirement at scale.

Daniel now channels that experience into the defense innovation ecosystem as founder of Pineland Strategies and as Managing Director of the Founder Institute's Defense and National Security cohort, where he works with the next generation of founders building dual-use and defense technology companies. His operational experience coupled with his academic background - spanning quantitative methods, international security, and psychology - informs a structured, multi-disciplinary approach that sets Pineland Strategies apart.

Pineland Strategies works with a select group of clients. Engagements are intensive, personalized, and built on the belief that the right advisor relationship is one of the most asymmetric investments a founder can make.