Joe Beard is an entrepreneur and experienced financier focused on creating disruptive solutions at the intersection of technology and structured finance. He is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of CollateralEdge. Joe also co-founded Venture Dallas, the premier venture capital focused conference in the DFW region. Joe spent almost a decade in investment banking at firms such as Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. He led venture investing as a Partner at Perot Jain for 5 years. His early business career began in Silicon Valley at Applied Materials. Joe developed his leadership style serving as a Captain in the Army for 5 years. Joe received his BS in Discrete Mathematics from the United Stated Military Academy at West Point and his MBA from Columbia Business School.