Joe Kochan

Joe Kochan is the co-founder and COO of US Ignite, a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC that spurs the creation of next-generation applications and services that leverage advanced networking technologies to build the foundation for smart communities.

Prior to US Ignite, Joe worked as part of the Department of Commerce’s BTOP grant program. He was also co-founder and Vice President–Operations of DigitalBridge Communications, a startup backed by over $40M in venture funding dedicated to bringing broadband services to small, underserved markets nationwide using broadband wireless technology. Previously, he was with Verizon, with responsibility for strategic planning and strategic project management, specifically focusing on the military housing market and the implementation of the first Verizon FiOS networks at military bases across the country.