Ep. 153 From Special Forces to Startup Founder: John Price on Leadership, Grit, and Betting on Yourself

In this episode of TheMilVet Podcast, host Beau Higgins sits down with John Price, US Army Special Forces veteran, former Senate staffer, private equity operator, and founder of HighGround.

John shares his journey from a college student at the University of Colorado Boulder whose life changed on September 11th, to joining the Army through the 18X Special Forces program, serving alongside elite teammates, and later navigating a challenging transition out of the military. He offers a candid look at the realities of leaving service without a clear plan, the identity shift veterans face, and how lessons from Special Forces — discipline, grit, planning, and trust in your compass — translate powerfully into business, private equity, and entrepreneurship.

Throughout the conversation, John walks through his non-linear civilian career: earning his MBA, working in Fortune 500 leadership roles, advising and fixing PE-backed portfolio companies, serving in the U.S. Senate on AI and acquisition reform, leading corporate development at Deloitte, and ultimately betting on himself to build a software company focused on making government markets easier to understand and navigate.

Listeners will gain insight into:

• Why military leadership and resilience provide an edge in private equity, venture capital, and founder roles
• The hard truths of transitioning from the military — and why having a plan matters more than the plan itself
• How to overcome imposter syndrome and compete confidently in elite business and academic environments
• Why understanding culture matters more than trying to “change” it in large organizations
• How private equity and government contracting really work — and the gaps veterans must close to succeed
• What it’s actually like to pitch investors, hear repeated “no’s,” and keep moving forward as a founder
• Why education, mentorship, and “putting in the reps” are critical before taking on senior leadership roles
• How veterans should think about entrepreneurship as both a sprint and a marathon
  
  

John also shares practical, hard-earned advice for veterans considering the founder path — from building the right team and doing deep market homework, to knowing which parts of military culture to bring forward and which to leave behind.

If you’re a veteran exploring entrepreneurship, private equity, venture capital, government-focused technology, or simply trying to chart your next mission after service, this episode delivers grounded perspective, real talk, and actionable guidance from someone who’s lived every phase of the journey.

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