# Alex Wulff > Alex Wulff is the co-founder and CEO of Distributed Spectrum, a New York company building edge-AI software and low-cost radio sensors that detect, classify, and locate signals in real time. An electrical engineer, maker, and author of the 2019 textbook Beginning Radio Communications, Wulff developed the company from a proposed Harvard senior thesis with classmates Isaac Struhl and Ben Harpe. The founders turned inexpensive software-defined radios into a distributed sensing platform, won early government innovation grants, secured contracts across the U.S. military, won the U.S. AUKUS Electronic Warfare Challenge, and announced a $25 million Series A in March 2025. - **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Distributed Spectrum - **Organizations:** Distributed Spectrum, Harvard University, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Apress - **Education:** S.B. in Electrical Engineering, Harvard University, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, High school diploma, Skaneateles High School - **Known for:** Co-founded Distributed Spectrum from a proposed Harvard senior thesis and serves as CEO., Raised a $25 million Series A in March 2025 led by Conviction, Shield Capital, and Nat Friedman., Helped the company close more than $7 million in U.S. Department of Defense contracts in 60 days with a seven-person team. ## Career timeline - **2017** — Graduated from Skaneateles High School after participating in science fairs and began studying electrical engineering at Harvard. - **2018** — Worked on the Harvard Undergraduate Robotics Club's six-legged Mars rover team for the Canadian International Rover Challenge and won a Hackster award in the China-US Young Maker Competition. - **2019** — Completed a radar systems internship at Lockheed Martin in Syracuse and published Beginning Radio Communications: Radio Projects and Theory with Apress. - **2020** — Took a pandemic gap year with Harvard friends Isaac Struhl and Ben Harpe; the trio formed Distributed Spectrum in August around Wulff's proposed senior-thesis idea. - **2021** — Distributed Spectrum won the $25,000 grand prize at NSIN's Mad Hacks: Fury Code for a real-time RF threat detection system, then earned another NSIN prize and approval for a nearly $250,000 NSF SBIR grant. - **2022** — Earned an S.B. in electrical engineering from Harvard, moved with the co-founders to New York City, and began building the company's engineering team. - **2023** — Led Distributed Spectrum as it grew beyond the three founders, learned the government acquisition process, and focused the business primarily on defense missions. - **2024** — Distributed Spectrum won the $150,000 U.S. prize in the first AUKUS Electronic Warfare Challenge and closed more than $7 million in defense contracts during a 60-day period. - **2025** — Announced a $25 million Series A led by Conviction, Shield Capital, and Nat Friedman; the company said its capabilities were in use in Ukraine and on contracts across Army, Air Force, Navy, SOCOM, and the intelligence community. - **2026** — Distributed Spectrum and its founders appeared in Forbes' 2026 30 Under 30 Transportation & Aerospace class; Forbes reported $12 million in development contracts and $29 million raised. ## Achievements - Co-founded Distributed Spectrum from a proposed Harvard senior thesis and serves as CEO. - Raised a $25 million Series A in March 2025 led by Conviction, Shield Capital, and Nat Friedman. - Helped the company close more than $7 million in U.S. Department of Defense contracts in 60 days with a seven-person team. - Won the $150,000 U.S. prize in the inaugural AUKUS Electronic Warfare Challenge. - Won the $25,000 grand prize at NSIN's 2021 Mad Hacks: Fury Code competition. - Received a nearly $250,000 National Science Foundation SBIR grant with his co-founders. - Authored the 223-page textbook Beginning Radio Communications: Radio Projects and Theory, published by Apress in 2019. - Developed radar-related systems engineering work at Lockheed Martin and sensor and electronic-warfare technologies at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. - Received a Harvard Certificate of Distinction in Teaching for Introduction to Electrical Engineering in spring 2022. - Distributed Spectrum was included in the Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Transportation & Aerospace class and a16z's 2025 American Dynamism 50. ## Latest updates - **2026-01** — A Forbes company profile reported that Distributed Spectrum had landed $12 million in development contracts with the Army, Air Force, and Navy and had raised $29 million from investors. - **2025-12** — Distributed Spectrum and its three co-founders were included in the Forbes 2026 30 Under 30 Transportation & Aerospace class. - **2025-03** — Distributed Spectrum announced a $25 million Series A led by Conviction, Shield Capital, and Nat Friedman after closing more than $7 million in defense contracts within 60 days. - **2025-03** — Wulff discussed the company's AUKUS Electronic Warfare Challenge-winning concept: a broad mesh of low-cost sensors for maritime radio awareness. - **2025-03** — Wulff, Ben Harpe, and Isaac Struhl appeared on the Mission Matters podcast to discuss electronic warfare, customer discovery, national-security sales, New York, and building their team. ## Links - Website: https://www.alexwulff.com/ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-wulff/ - GitHub: https://github.com/AlexFWulff - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2_3C_-qb-w --- Profile page: https://yespress.io/alex-wulff Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io Last updated: 2026-08-10