Derren Burrell, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired), brings 30+ years of professional financial management experience across both public and private sectors. He is the Founder & Managing Partner of Veteran Ventures Capital (VVC), a venture capital firm with nearly $100 million in assets under management. At VVC, he oversees all firm operations and fund management, investing in early-stage and growth companies led by U.S. Veterans in the national security and defense sectors. Before founding VVC, Derren served as Chief Operating Officer of TAG Resources, LLC, a fiduciary
outsourcing firm with over $2 billion in assets under management, where he generated a 5x return for shareholders in three years, culminating in the company’s acquisition. He also provides ongoing financial oversight as Chief Financial Officer of True Victory, a performance lifestyle and apparel brand he has supported since 2009. Derren is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, a Certified Defense Financial Manager, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a recipient of the Presidential Service Badge, an inductee into Marquis Who’s Who in America, and the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year honoree from the U.S. Forces in Business Awards. Prior to transitioning to the private sector in 2015, Derren served 21 years as a financial management officer in the United States Air Force. Selected for Colonel in his final assignment, he served as the Resource Director for the White House Communications Agency, working directly with senior White House staff, Congressional committees, the United States Secret Service, the Department of State, and the Defense Information Systems Agency on all aspects of financial and contract management in support of the President of the United States. His military career includes deployments to Iraq as Deputy Comptroller, United States Forces–Iraq, and to Afghanistan as Resource Director, NATO Air Training Command–Afghanistan. In these joint roles, he led financial directorates responsible for planning and executing more than $20 billion in U.S. appropriated funding across both theaters. He previously served at the Pentagon as the Air Force’s flying operations analyst, managing the service’s largest Operations & Maintenance account—over $15 billion. Derren has commanded both finance and wing staff agencies and has served as a deployed comptroller in Operations SEA SIGNAL, SOUTHERN WATCH, ALLIED FORCE, NEW DAWN, and ENDURING FREEDOM.
A graduate of The Citadel, Derren’s decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, multiple Air Force Commendation Medals, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, Air Force Budget Officer of the Year (twice), Air Force Financial Management Officer of the Year, Comptroller of the Year, and USAFE’s James E. Short Award for Outstanding Contribution to Mentorship and Career Development. Derren is married to the former Gloria Frey, and together they have five children: Lydia, Luke, David, Rebekah, and Nathanael.