Alex Ford is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive, investor, and speaker. He was the founder and longtime CEO of Praetorian Digital, the leading learning and content platform for first responders and local government leaders. Alex founded the company in 1999 and led it through recapitalization and two market downturns to a clear market leadership position in public safety, driving 15 years of profitability and double-digit growth annually. During that time, he launched and scaled 5 of the largest digital communities in local government, completed 6 acquisitions and built multiple 7 figure revenue SaaS products. Riverside Company acquired Praetorian in 2019 and merged the company with Lexipol, the leading provider of public safety policies. Post the merger, Alex led the combined business through integration as CEO leading to a highly successful exit to GTCR in 2021. Alex is passionate about opportunities where SaaS, data, audience, and content intersect and has a track record of building exceptional teams, creating digital products and scaling revenue. He is currently building Founder Works, an incubator and investment vehicle for early stage B2B vertical SaaS businesses. Through Founder Works, Alex invests in and advises multiple start-ups with a mission of helping entrepreneurs accelerate their journey. In his spare time, he enjoys working on wine-related projects and spending time with his wife and two young boys. He’s a strong supporter of public safety and related charities. He grew up in Boston and graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in Economics and French.