Elliot Branson

Wildcard
DISC Type : csi

CTO of Federal at Cognition

San Francisco Bay Area, United States

Overview

Elliot Branson is the CTO of Federal at Cognition AI, specializing in artificial intelligence, robotics, and national defense. His career includes senior engineering leadership roles at Vannevar Labs, Scale AI, and Cruise Automation. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Minnesota.

His interests are deeply rooted in national innovation, with a focus on organizations like the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA. He is passionate about leveraging advanced software to solve critical challenges in the public sector, particularly within defense and aerospace applications.

Elliot is leading the initiative to modernize government software by partnering with the U. S. Army, Navy, and NASA.

Personality Overview

ROI Driven

Friendly But Slow

Requires Proof

They are often friendly and nice, but can sometimes suprise you with their piercing questions  They are unlikely to ever become strong champions even when the conversations are going well; you should focus on cultivating other champions They typically tend to be late adopters even when they seem friendly and excited about what you have to sell

Topics They Care About

AI in Government
He leads Cognition's federal division, aiming to modernize software for partners like the U. S. Army, Navy, and NASA.
National Defense Tech
His career focus, including roles at Vannevar Labs and Scale AI's public sector team, is centered on defense and intelligence applications.
Modernizing Legacy Systems
He is actively working to solve the bottleneck created by legacy code in government and defense through AI-powered tools.

Media Appearances

Elliot has no verified media appearances

Work History

1-2026
CTO of Federal at Cognition
1-2024 - 12-2025
Vice President of Engineering at Vannevar Labs
4-2022 - 4-2024
VP of Machine Learning & Engineering at Scale AI
7-2019 - 4-2022
Director of Machine Learning & Engineering at Scale AI
1-2015 - 4-2019
Head of Perception at Cruise Automation, Inc.

Education

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from University of Minnesota
Education details unavailable from Hickman High School

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 17 Location : San Francisco Bay Area, United States Job Level : Leadership Designation : CTO of Federal at Cognition
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Insights For Selling To Elliot

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Persuade objectively how your product will help them achieve their goals
  • Invite them for a social do but don’t rely solely on the relationship
  • Help them understand the risk aspect fully while inspiring confidence

DONT's

  • Don’t overhype the product/pitch, keep it measured
  • Do not sound overly eager, modulate your energy levels especially if you are generally enthusiastic
  • Avoid winging it with them particularly, answer a question only if you know the answer well

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Elliot is

  • Clear proof of product value matters to them, followed by others' testimonials and rapport.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Elliot

  • They are likely to give you a clear answer without taking you around in circles. However, if you share a good relationship, they might not be so forthcoming.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Elliot move?

  • They like to perform full analysis and can take time to make any decision.
  • Can Elliot take some risk or not?

  • They weigh all decisions systematically and are unlikely to take many risks.

You And Elliot

Personality Compatibility


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