Andreas Kellas

My Greatest Accomplishment: Seven years ago, I founded MORSE Corp., a company that develops cutting-edge technology for the U.S. national security ecosystem. We’ve steadily grown to over 150 employees with no outside funding and we have no non-employee shareholders. I’m particularly proud of our unique business model, branded as the Anti-Prime® contractor. As the Anti-Prime contractor, MORSE is different from a typical defense contractor in that we provide the U.S government with unlimited data rights, don’t have a product-based business model and maintain a transparent relationship with our customers. That being said, my one greatest accomplishment has been convincing some of the most impressive people in the world to join me at MORSE Corp. I feel fortunate to count them as colleagues. They have enabled MORSE to scale and grow to a point where it will live on despite the loss of any one individual, including myself.

How Drexel Helped Me: Drexel’s Engineering program provided me a strong foundation in physics, mathematics and engineering as an undergraduate. The Business Administration minor gave me the basic building blocks I needed to start and grow a company: accounting, economics, marketing and contract law. This combination of engineering and business education was key to my success as founder and CEO of a tech company.

My Greatest Source of Motivation: Victories. Small ones every day. Getting an employee offer accepted, finishing a hard workout, having a great customer meeting. I just take it one step at a time, hoard those little victories and keep my eyes set on my objectives.

Where I Hope To Be in Five Years: Hope isn’t a word that’s in my vocabulary. In five years, I will have evolved to be the CEO that a 500-person company needs. I’ll be better at building teams, delegating and communicating my vision. I’ll be a more effective leader.

If My Life Were a Music Video, the Song Would Be: “Blessings,” by Big Sean & Drake.