Phillip Lachman combines an electrical engineering background from Illinois and Stanford with years working on classified Lockheed Martin space and defense programs before moving into startup investing, and he later spent over a decade helping build ClearMotion from an early startup into an automotive supplier, which shaped his focus on what he calls capital-market fit alongside product-market fit. He also came up through Walnut Venture Associates' own apprenticeship path, starting as an intern and later becoming treasurer, which is part of why he now champions the group's open style of letting students sit in on both pitches and internal discussions.