Meet Reuben!
A decorated defense technologist and proven serial entrepreneur, Dr. Sorensen operates at the forefront of applying AI to modernize strategic industries across the aerospace and energy sectors. He brings strategic vision, technical depth, and a proven track record of delivering transformative technologies in the world's most demanding, no-fail environments. This experience uniquely equips him to lead Qorify’s mission to unlock an agile design paradigm for the future of nuclear energy.
Reuben's Journey
Dr. Sorensen’s journey began at the University of Michigan, where he earned his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, specializing in computational reactor physics. During this time, he developed a deep appreciation for both the power and the limitations of traditional nuclear analysis tools—an insight that would later shape his entrepreneurial vision for modernizing nuclear engineering through AI.
Following his academic training, Dr. Sorensen served as a Senior Nuclear Engineer at SEAL Team SIX, where he rapidly developed and strategically fielded advanced technologies tied directly to the White House’s nuclear counterproliferation objectives. Operating in one of the most demanding, no-fail environments in government, he refined the leadership instincts and execution discipline that would later define his approach as a founder and CEO.
Dr. Sorensen’s influence grew significantly during his tenure as Senior Technology Advisor to the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this role, he emerged as an early leader in applying AI to national security, earning the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service. He spearheaded strategic AI initiatives that directly shaped the Department of Defense’s innovation agenda and paved the way for the creation of organizations such as the Defense Innovation Unit and In-Q-Tel Defense.
Transitioning to the private sector at Planet Labs, Dr. Sorensen advanced the company’s federal strategy and led corporate development for radar-centric agile aerospace missions. Here, he sharpened his business acumen by crafting intelligent go-to-market strategies, optimizing product–market fit, and leveraging AI to extract global-scale insights from satellite imagery.
This experience catalyzed the founding of Orbital Effects, an agile aerospace company pushing the frontier of radar satellite technology and AI for national defense. As CEO, Dr. Sorensen assembled a nationally recognized team, raised multiple investment rounds, and drove year-over-year revenue growth. Under his leadership, the company grew into a leading space technology enterprise, delivering first-of-its-kind capabilities that accelerated the conversion of satellite imagery into actionable insight for the warfighter.
Following the successful exit of Orbital Effects, Dr. Sorensen founded his second startup, Visto360. As CEO, he leveraged domain-specific foundational AI to enable scalable, real-time exploitation of radar data at the edge. Backed by some of the nation’s most prominent defense investors, Dr. Sorensen assembled a world-class team at the intersection of radar engineering and AI, positioning the company for rapid growth through multiple innovation contracts with the Department of Defense.
With his third startup, Qorify, Dr. Sorensen returns to his roots in nuclear engineering, synthesizing decades of experience implementing AI across highly regulated defense and aerospace sectors. His commitment to enabling nuclear’s next era drives Qorify’s mission: applying advanced AI to accelerate and modernize how nuclear reactors are designed, built, and brought to scale.