Byron Knight

President & Chief Operating Officer, Koch Disruptive Technologies at Koch Disruptive Technologies

Reviewed Updated Apr 29, 2026

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Location Wichita, Kansas
Check Size $50M-$200M (KDT lead checks); occasional seed co-leads ($18M Lucidean)
Last Verified Investment Lucidean (Seed) — Dec 23, 2025
Social LinkedIn
Stage Focus
series-a series-b series-c series-d growth
Sector Focus
supply-chain cybersecurity fintech autonomous-vehicles enterprise-software semiconductors healthcare

Background

Byron Knight is President and Chief Operating Officer of Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), the venture capital and growth equity arm of Koch, Inc. 12. He holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology 3. Prior to KDT, Knight spent more than a decade at Georgia-Pacific (a Koch subsidiary), most recently serving as Vice President of eCommerce for Georgia-Pacific’s North America Consumer Business; earlier in his career he was an early employee of TechDiscovery, a technical due diligence and custom software firm 14.

Knight joined KDT in its first years of operation. As of January 2020, Global Corporate Venturing reported he had been at KDT for “less than two years” with over 14 years total at Koch Industries, having personally deployed nearly $300M and led four of KDT’s eight major investments to that point 4. He was named to the Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars list in 2020 4.

In April 2024, Knight was elevated to President of KDT when founder Chase Koch transitioned to Executive Vice President of Origination and Partnerships at Koch, Inc. 56. By that point Knight had spearheaded approximately 20 investments across supply chain and manufacturing, cybersecurity, and fintech 12. He delivered the Distinguished Speaker keynote at Wichita State University’s W. Frank Barton School of Business on October 23, 2024, titled “Harnessing Disruption: Pioneering the Future of Innovation and Growth in the Business World” 2. He is based in Wichita, Kansas 1.

Stated Thesis

Knight has publicly described KDT’s mission as investing “in transformative technology companies that disrupt the traditional paradigms and provide impactful solutions to make the world a better place” 7. He frames KDT’s role as “to invest in technology companies that disrupt and transform Koch’s core businesses and expand into new platforms and capabilities” 8.

He emphasizes a founder-first orientation grounded in Koch’s operating platform rather than just capital: “Our approach of putting these disruptive innovators first and figuring out what we can bring to the table – to pour rocket fuel on their ideas – is what really gets our team excited” 4. Knight stresses that KDT seeks “win-win opportunities with our partners to create transformative value for society” 9.

On supply chain and Industry 4.0 – the sector he has most consistently led for KDT – Knight states: “There’s tremendous opportunity – and a demonstrated need – to address the most pressing challenges in the supply chain” 10. He has framed KDT’s logistics strategy around three areas: yard automation (Outrider), warehouse robotics (Gideon Brothers), and middle-mile autonomy (Gatik) 10.

Inferred Thesis

Knight has been at KDT since approximately 2018, ascended to President in April 2024, and concurrently serves as COO 145. Two distinct signals are available: (a) deals where Knight is personally quoted in the announcement (strongest signal of personal sourcing), and (b) board seats he personally holds at portfolio companies (strongest signal of ongoing oversight). Both pattern toward supply chain, cybersecurity, fintech, and industrial software – the verticals KDT and external profiles consistently associate with him 12411.

Sectors where Knight is personally named or board-attached (8 verifiable companies): - Supply chain / autonomy: Outrider (board, lead quote on $62M Series D Oct 2024 11); Trackonomy (board 1); Gatik (KDT-led Series B 2021 12) - Cybersecurity: Dragos (board, lead quote on $200M Series D Oct 2021 13); Automox (board 1); Strider (board 3); Beyond Identity (former board 14) - Fintech: Ibotta (board, lead quote on $200M Series D Aug 2019 9) - Healthcare: Cellares (board 8) - Manufacturing/Industry 4.0: Desktop Metal (led $150M Series D, former board 4) - Enterprise software / AI: Rhino.ai (lead quote on $50M Series A Jan 2025 7) - Semiconductors / optical: Lucidean (KDT co-lead seed Dec 2025 15)

Sector tilt vs. Chase Koch: Of the 8 companies where Knight is personally named or board-attached, the distribution skews industrial-tech: 3 supply chain (38%), 4 cybersecurity (50% across overlapping seats), 1 fintech (Ibotta), 1 healthcare (Cellares), 1 industrial manufacturing (Desktop Metal), 1 enterprise AI (Rhino.ai), 1 semiconductors (Lucidean). Chase Koch’s personally quoted deals concentrated in healthcare and growth-stage life sciences (Insightec, Valo Health) plus marquee industrials (Gatik, Sidecar Health) 16. Knight’s pattern leans more heavily toward cybersecurity and supply-chain automation – the operationally-adjacent verticals where Koch Industries is itself a deployment customer.

Stage distribution: Knight’s named deals span Series A through Series D, with check sizes from KDT’s typical $50M-$150M range up to the $200M Dragos co-lead 13. The December 2025 Lucidean $18M seed co-led with Entrada Ventures 15 – Knight’s first publicly attributed seed-stage deal as President – suggests willingness to write smaller, earlier checks for strategically-relevant deep tech under his leadership.

Distinctive pattern – Koch as customer: Knight personally articulated the dual investor-customer relationship for Dragos: “We believe the Dragos Platform plays a key part in managing risk across our enterprise, delivering the products and services our customers depend on without interruption” 13. This pattern (KDT invests; Koch deploys) reflects the operating thesis Knight inherited from Chase but applies most heavily in his own cybersecurity and supply-chain bets.

Sample size caveat: This analysis is based on 8 deals where Knight is personally quoted or holds a board seat. KDT under his presidency has deployed across ~70 portfolio companies, but personal attribution to Knight per deal is verifiable only for the subset above. For the firm-wide portfolio see the Koch Disruptive Technologies firm profile.

Portfolio

This table lists KDT investments where Byron Knight is personally named in the announcement, holds (or has held) a board seat, or is publicly attributed as the deal lead. For the full ~70-company KDT portfolio see the Koch Disruptive Technologies firm profile.

Company Year Stage Source
Desktop Metal ~2019 Series D ($150M, KDT-led) 4
Ibotta 2019-08-06 Series D (lead, KDT, $1B valuation) 9
Trackonomy ~2020 (board seat) 1
Automox ~2020 (board seat) 1
Beyond Identity ~2020 (former board seat) 14
Strider ~2020 (board seat) 3
Gatik 2021-08-31 Series B ($85M, KDT-led) 12
Dragos 2021-10-28 Series D ($200M, co-lead) 13
Cellares ~2022 (board seat) 8
Outrider 2024-10-24 Series D ($62M, KDT/NEA co-lead) 11
Rhino.ai 2025-01-21 Series A ($50M, KDT-led) 7
Lucidean 2025-12-23 Seed ($18M, KDT/Entrada co-lead) 15

In Their Own Words

“KDT seeks to create win-win opportunities with our partners to create transformative value for society. Fintech, and payments specifically, is an industry ripe for innovation and disruption.” – Byron Knight, Managing Director, Ibotta Series D announcement, August 6, 2019 9

“We believe the Dragos Platform plays a key part in managing risk across our enterprise, delivering the products and services our customers depend on without interruption.” – Byron Knight, Managing Director and COO, Dragos $200M Series D announcement, October 28, 2021 13

“Our approach of putting these disruptive innovators first and figuring out what we can bring to the table – to pour rocket fuel on their ideas – is what really gets our team excited.” – Byron Knight, Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars 2020 4

“There’s tremendous opportunity – and a demonstrated need – to address the most pressing challenges in the supply chain.” – Byron Knight, COO and Managing Director, KDT, on autonomous logistics strategy 10

“Disruption is happening all around us and across countless industries.” – Byron Knight, COO and Managing Director, KDT 10

“Outrider’s industry-leading technology approach, commitment to safety, and robust IP portfolio make them a standout in autonomous yard operations. We’re thrilled to support their continued growth as they revolutionize supply chain efficiency on a global scale.” – Byron Knight, President, KDT, Outrider $62M Series D announcement, October 24, 2024 11

“Rhino.ai’s innovative approach to legacy system modernization aligns perfectly with the urgent need for digital transformation across industries.” – Byron Knight, President, KDT, Rhino.ai $50M Series A announcement, January 21, 2025 7

“KDT’s role is to invest in technology companies that disrupt and transform Koch’s core businesses and expand into new platforms and capabilities.” – Byron Knight, on Cellares board page 8

“Our mission is to invest in transformative technology companies that disrupt the traditional paradigms and provide impactful solutions.” – Byron Knight, Wichita State University Distinguished Speaker bio 2

What Founders Say

No independently sourced founder testimonials specifically about working with Byron Knight personally were found. Press releases for the Ibotta, Dragos, Outrider, and Rhino.ai rounds quote founders praising KDT and Koch Industries as a platform partner, but those quotes describe the firm and Koch’s operating platform rather than Knight individually. For founder quotes about KDT as a firm, see the Koch Disruptive Technologies firm profile.

Connections

  • President & COO, Koch Disruptive Technologies – elevated to President in April 2024 from Managing Director and COO; oversees vision, strategy, operations, and investments 125
  • Successor to Chase Koch as KDT President – Chase Koch founded KDT in 2018 and led it through April 2024, when he transitioned to EVP Origination & Partnerships at Koch, Inc., and Knight assumed the President role 56
  • Board member, Outrider 111
  • Board member, Trackonomy 1
  • Board member, Automox 1
  • Board member, Cellares 8
  • Board member, Ibotta 117
  • Board member, Dragos 18
  • Board member, Strider 3
  • Former board member, Beyond Identity 14
  • Former board member, Desktop Metal – led KDT’s $150M Series D investment 4
  • Distinguished Speaker, Wichita State University Barton School of Business – October 23, 2024 keynote on disruption and innovation 2
  • Prior employer: Georgia-Pacific (Koch subsidiary) – Vice President of eCommerce, North America Consumer Business; over a decade in roles from 2005 onward 134
  • Prior employer: TechDiscovery – early employee at technical due diligence and custom software firm 14
  • Education: Georgia Institute of Technology – Bachelor of Industrial Engineering 3
  • Frequent KDT co-investors (deals where Knight is named or board-attached): New Enterprise Associates (Outrider Series D co-lead 11); BlackRock (Dragos Series D 13); Entrada Ventures (Lucidean seed co-lead 15)
  • Recognition: Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars 2020 4

Sources

  1. Wichita State University, “Byron Knight,” Distinguished Speaker profile, accessed April 2026. https://www.wichita.edu/profiles/academics/business/office_of_the_dean/Executives-in-Residence-and-Entrepreneurs-in-Residence-and-Distinguished-Speakers/Knight-Byron.php↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. Wichita State University News, “Byron Knight, President of Koch Disruptive Technologies, to Deliver Keynote at the Barton School,” September 30, 2024. https://news.wichita.edu/2024/09/30/byron-knight-president-of-koch-disruptive-technologies-to-deliver-keynote-at-the-barton-school-2/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  3. Dragos, “Byron Knight | Board Member,” leadership profile, accessed April 2026. https://www.dragos.com/leadership/byron-knight↩↩↩↩↩↩

  4. Global Corporate Venturing, “GCV Rising Stars Awards 2020: Byron Knight,” January 2020. https://globalventuring.com/corporate/gcv-rising-stars-awards-2020-byron-knight/↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  5. Global Venturing, “Powerlist 2024: Chase Koch,” accessed April 2026. https://globalventuring.com/corporate/powerlist-2024-chase-koch/↩↩↩↩

  6. Koch, Inc., “Chase Koch | Executive Vice President | Koch” leadership page, accessed April 2026. https://www.kochinc.com/leadership/chase-koch↩↩

  7. Newsfile Corp, “Rhino.ai Announces $50M Series A to Transform Enterprise Modernization,” January 21, 2025. https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/237866/Rhino.ai-Announces-50M-Series-A-to-Transform-Enterprise-Modernization↩↩↩↩

  8. Cellares, “Company,” accessed April 2026. https://www.cellares.com/company/↩↩↩↩↩

  9. PR Newswire, “Ibotta Poised to Transform Digital Payments as it Becomes Colorado’s Latest Tech Unicorn,” August 6, 2019. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibotta-poised-to-transform-digital-payments-as-it-becomes-colorados-latest-tech-unicorn-300896945.html↩↩↩↩

  10. 3BL Media, “More Than Point A to Point B: Why Koch Is Scaling Up Autonomous and Electrified Logistics Solutions,” accessed April 2026. https://www.3blmedia.com/news/more-point-b-why-koch-scaling-autonomous-and-electrified-logistics-solutions↩↩↩↩

  11. Outrider press release, “Outrider closes $62 million Series D financing to drive growth of yard automation,” October 24, 2024. https://www.outrider.ai/press-releases/outrider-closes-62-million-series-d-financing-to-drive-growth-of-yard-automation/↩↩↩↩↩↩

  12. Gatik press release, “Gatik Raises $85 Million in Series B Funding Led by Koch Disruptive Technologies,” August 31, 2021. https://gatik.ai/news/press-releases/gatik-announces-85m-series-b/↩↩

  13. Dragos press release, “Dragos Raises $200 Million in Series D Funding to Safeguard the World’s Critical Infrastructure,” October 28, 2021. https://www.dragos.com/resources/press-release/dragos-raises-200-million-in-series-d-funding↩↩↩↩↩↩

  14. The Org, “Byron Knight - Board Member at Beyond Identity,” accessed April 2026. https://theorg.com/org/beyond-identity/org-chart/byron-knight↩↩↩

  15. BusinessWire, “Lucidean Raises Series Seed Funding to Accelerate Next-Gen Coherent Optical Links for Data Centers,” December 23, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251223818151/en/Lucidean-Raises-Series-Seed-Funding-to-Accelerate-Next-Gen-Coherent-Optical-Links-for-Data-Centers-Announces-Dr.-James-Raring-as-Chief-Executive-Officer↩↩↩↩

  16. Seedlist profile, “Chase Koch,” accessed April 2026. (internal cross-reference) ↩

  17. The Org, “Byron Knight - President And Chief Operating Officer at Koch Disruptive Technologies,” accessed April 2026. https://theorg.com/org/koch-disruptive-technologies/org-chart/byron-knight↩

  18. The Org, “Byron Knight - Board Member at Dragos,” accessed April 2026. https://theorg.com/org/dragos/org-chart/byron-knight↩