Rachel Costello

Entrepreneur in Residence Emerita, University of California San Diego

Rachel leads Innovating for National Security (i4NS) at University of California, San Diego. I4NS is a for-credit Academic Internship Program powered by Hacking for Defense Course that connects multidisciplinary students and National Security agencies to develop innovative solutions to the nation’s emerging problems.

A seasoned Silicon Valley veteran with a deep understanding and experience in technology, defense and academia, Rachel advises early-stage founders and CEOs to build sustainable and scalable businesses by leveraging 30+ years of organizational leadership and operations expertise.

Previously, Rachel led large-scale projects worldwide at Tesla, Inc., including the company’s first Gigafactory and dual-launch of a $1.2B state compliance program and $37.5M workforce development initiative.

Her 30-year Navy career included Principal Advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations and Command Master Chief of a Forward Deployed Naval Forces destroyer. Advisor to UC San Diego’s National Security Entrepreneur in Residence Program and mentor to campus innovation programs, Rachel remains a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship and veteran/military spouse-focused business programs.