FOUNDER / MANAGING PARTNER

Derren is the Founder & Managing Partner of VVC. In this capacity, he oversees all aspects of the company operations and fund management, which invests in early-stage / growth companies led by US Veterans in the National Security/Defense sectors. Before this role he served as the Chief Operating Officer for TAG Resources, LLC, a fiduciary outsourcing company with over $2 billion in assets under management. While at this firm he generated a 5X return in 3 years culminating in an acquisition. A financial professional with over 28 years in the industry, he is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary, Certified Defense Financial Manager, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Service Badge, and an inductee into Marquis Who's Who in America.

Prior to his retirement from the Air Force, Derren was the Resource Director of the White House Communication Agency. He worked directly with senior White House staff, Congressional, comptroller, United States Secret Service, Department of State, and Defense Information Systems Agency staff in all aspects of financial and contract management in support of the President, managing nearly $350 million.  While in this position he was selected for the rank of Colonel but decided to retire and move to Knoxville and into the private sector.

Highlights of his 21-year military career include being deployed to Iraq as the Deputy Comptroller, United States Forces and in Afghanistan as the Resource Director, NATO Air Training Command. In this joint capacity he managed over $20 billion in U.S. appropriated funding in support of U.S. operations within the Iraq and Afghanistan Joint Operations Areas. He also served at the Pentagon as the flying operations analyst for the Air Force, where he was responsible for the largest Operations & Maintenance budget account in the Air Force, over $15 billion. He has been a squadron commander for both finance and wing staff agencies, and was a deployed Comptroller on the front line in Operations SEA SIGNAL, SOUTHERN WATCH, ALLIED FORCE, NEW DAWN, and ENDURING FREEDOM.

Derren graduated from The Citadel with a BS in Business Administration, holds a MS in Cost Analysis from the Air Force Institute of Technology, and a 2nd MS in Human Resources from Central Michigan University.

He is married to the former Gloria Frey and they have 5 children together: