Marian Pulford is a strategic leader with a track record of scaling organizations, securing multimillion-dollar funding, and driving technology adoption across industries. She specializes in operational strategy, AI implementation, and fundraising, with a focus on transforming complex challenges into high-growth opportunities.

Before co-founding Kestrel Labs Marian led operations at two strategic consultancies, managing large-scale projects that optimized business workflows through AI-driven solutions. She also spearheaded a $5M capital campaign for RiNo Art District, securing major state grants and orchestrating cross-sector partnerships among government agencies, private donors, and corporate sponsors to bring a transformative community project to life.

Beyond Kestrel Labs, Marian is deeply involved in philanthropy and community leadership and serves on multiple nonprofit boards.

With a background in scaling organizations, raising capital, and implementing technology-driven solutions, Marian is leading Kestrel Labs’ mission to revolutionize compliance and risk management in architecture and construction.

Bob Messegee is a seasoned software engineer and systems architect with 20+ years of experience leading both enterprise-scale and startup product teams. His expertise spans full-stack development, technical architecture, and engineering leadership across highly regulated industries. Bob brings a rare blend of hands-on software engineering depth and domain-level strategic thinking, honed through years of driving complex product delivery in environments where precision and scalability are non-negotiable.

Before co-founding Kestrel Labs, Bob served as VP of Solution Engineering at a multimillion-dollar enterprise content management company, where he led cross-functional teams, managed multi-product portfolios, and oversaw delivery for major digital transformation initiatives. Previously, he was Director of Engineering, building and scaling SaaS solutions for clients ranging from early-stage startups to Fortune 500s, architecting systems across AWS, Azure, and hybrid cloud environments.

In parallel with his software career, Bob co-founded and served as the Principal Builder at Bruder Design House, a high-end residential design-build firm operating across four states. As Principal Builder, he led every phase of delivery, bringing a technologist’s precision to the physical act of building. That dual-track experience gives him an uncommon edge: fluency in both digital systems and the real-world constraints of construction.

At Kestrel, Bob leads product architecture and engineering execution, ensuring that the platform is not only technically robust, but trusted by those who rely on it in the field.

Austin Pulford is a licensed architect with over 15 years of experience leading the design and management of large-scale commercial and mixed-use projects, totaling more than 2 million square feet and $750 million in value. As a Senior Architect at Davis Partnership Architects, he specializes in high-rise residential towers, expansive commercial developments, and urban master planning, expertly navigating complex regulatory frameworks.

A recognized expert in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Revit, Austin has pioneered advanced digital workflows that optimize project efficiency, reduce compliance risks, and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration.

At Kestrel Labs, he is leading the development of an AI-powered compliance engine that seamlessly integrates into architects' workflows, eliminating inefficiencies and streamlining regulatory analysis.

Austin’s deep industry expertise ensures Kestrel delivers real-world value, transforming architectural practice through AI-driven automation and positioning the company at the forefront of innovation in architecture and construction technology.

Sámuel Balogh is a senior software engineer specializing in AI infrastructure, cloud architecture, and system optimization. With over a decade of experience spanning regulated industries, fintech, and developer tooling, he brings a depth of technical fluency that is rare even among top-tier AI engineers.

Sámuel has built production-grade systems across Europe and the U.S., working on everything from LLM-based reasoning agents and advanced retrieval pipelines to fraud detection and knowledge engineering. His engineering approach combines architectural rigor with the ability to move fast at the frontier of AI development—delivering scalable, performant systems in high-stakes environments.

At Kestrel Labs, Sámuel is a key contributor to the company’s AI-powered compliance engine, implementing structured reasoning, language model orchestration, and optimization strategies to handle dense legal text at architectural scale.

Sean Gatzen is a practicing architect and architectural lecturer with a strategic lens on real estate development, planning, and the economics of the built environment. His work bridges forward-thinking design with operational execution, drawing on a career that spans both architectural practice and commercial finance. Sean’s current focus is on development-driven architecture that pushes for spatial innovation while remaining grounded in real-world constraints.

Before architecture, Sean spent over 17 years in commercial banking, where he financed more than $140 million in real estate projects and managed loan portfolios exceeding $150 million. He worked across sectors ranging from municipal infrastructure to SaaS and construction, giving him a deep understanding of how capital flows into—and through—the built world. That dual fluency in finance and design uniquely positions Sean to translate between visionary architecture and the systems that make it feasible at scale.

At Kestrel Labs, Sean advises on architecture strategy, market fit, and financial readiness. His rare combination of design expertise, academic leadership, and financial rigor ensures the company stays aligned with the needs of both practitioners and capital partners—while building toward long-term industry transformation.

Dave Tarasi is a senior software engineer and former attorney with deep expertise in AI infrastructure, backend systems, and regulatory technology. He has taken three startups from concept to production and brings a rare blend of technical depth and legal fluency. Dave has led backend and data engineering at venture-backed companies where he architected scalable platforms for complex, high-stakes domains.

Before entering tech, Dave spent five years as a corporate attorney focused on private equity and venture fund formation. He holds a JD from the University of Colorado and a Master’s in Computational Data Analytics from Georgia Tech. His experience spans backend development, data architecture, ML prototyping, and legal tech, positioning him as a critical advisor as Kestrel builds out its rule-based AI compliance engine.