Brian Riordan

TL;DR – Needs tough problems with an awesome team like he needs air; loves the process and team as much as the mission. Hardwired to be “all-in”; no dimmer switch and always chooses the red pill. Wine making, leather & wood workin’, campin’, bee keepin’, farmin’, salt-water lovin’ father to four awesome kids who think he’s an invulnerable jungle gym.

Brian joined Robin on this fusion quest during lunch at a bakery one fateful spring afternoon while eating a blackened salmon Caesar salad. At first, he responded with a healthy but supportive skepticism to the audacious idea.

Brian eventually got hooked through late-night brainstorms, CAD modeling on weekends, and even the development of some early hardware.

After many months of research and work, when the question of forming the company came up, Brian said: “I’m all-in, no salary minimum, equity or role necessary to commit: Spit and shake on it!” That’s what factually happened, to the best of his knowledge. In a nutshell.

Brian is an engineer obsessed with attacking big problems in a new way. He started his career in the deep subsea oil and gas industry, quickly pivoting to offshore special projects, subsea mining, and then aerospace with some side hustles along the way. While starting in structural/mechanical and operational disciplines, he later learned that building teams are incredibly challenging and enjoyable.

The smoke seasons in the PNW and the rapid receding of glaciers in his home state of Alaska made him want to tackle climate change in a big way, and Avalanche’s mission and technology couldn’t be more perfect for this effort.

Brian enjoys making just about anything, from leather armor to wood furniture to house extensions to killer chicken tikka masala to homemade experimental wines.

If Brian isn’t playing with his kids or building something, he is dreaming of building something, is outdoors somewhere, or playing with photography and editing. If you’re passionate about something odd and niche, he’s probably interested in seeing how deep that rabbit hole is.