From Army Ranger to The Apprentice Winner | Kelly Perdew
Combat Story
Ryan Fugit
4.8 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 8 June 2026
⏱️ 108 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How does a West Point graduate and Army Ranger go from military service to winning The Apprentice and building one of the most successful veteran-focused venture capital firms in America?
In this episode of Combat Story, AJ Pasciuti sits down with Kelly Perdew to discuss leadership, service, entrepreneurship, and the lessons that carried him from the U.S. Army to the national spotlight and beyond.
Kelly shares his journey through West Point, Army Intelligence, and Ranger School before discussing the experience of competing on—and ultimately winning—Season 2 of The Apprentice. He reflects on the leadership lessons he learned in uniform, how military experience shaped his approach to business, and why veterans often possess unique advantages as entrepreneurs and leaders.
The conversation also explores startup failures, venture capital, the founding of Moonshots Capital, and the importance of backing mission-driven founders who can thrive in uncertain environments.
Throughout the discussion, Kelly offers practical insights on leadership, resilience, accountability, and what it takes to build successful teams both inside and outside the military.
In this episode, we discuss:
- West Point and Army leadership development
- Ranger School and lessons in perseverance
- Winning The Apprentice Season 2
- Transitioning from military service to business
- Entrepreneurship, startups, and failure
- Building Moonshots Capital
- Investing in veteran-led companies
- Leadership under pressure
- The value veterans bring to the private sector
- Creating impact after military service
Whether you're a veteran navigating transition, an entrepreneur building a company, or simply interested in leadership and personal growth, Kelly's story offers valuable lessons from both the military and business worlds.
Chapters
00:00 Leadership Wins Everywhere
01:12 Meet Kelly Perdew: West Point, Ranger & Apprentice Winner
06:22 Why Military Leadership Translates to Business
12:54 Choosing West Point and the Path to Service
23:23 Ranger School and Learning to Embrace Hardship
29:56 UCLA, Entrepreneurship & Building His First Startup
48:10 Inside The Apprentice: How Kelly Won Season 2
58:39 From Reality TV to Venture Capital
1:05:42 The ID.me Story and Betting on Veteran Founders
1:18:23 Building Moonshots Capital
1:30:29 Why Veterans Make Exceptional Entrepreneurs
1:35:46 Transitioning Out of the Military Successfully
1:41:14 Leadership, Service & Leaving a Legacy
1:45:56 Final Advice for Veterans and Founders
🎙️ Guest — Kelly Perdew
West Point graduate, Army Ranger, entrepreneur, author, winner of *The Apprentice* Season 2, and co-founder of Moonshots Capital. Kelly has spent his career leading teams in the military, building and scaling companies, investing in founders, and helping veterans successfully transition into business and entrepreneurship.
📸 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kellyperdew
💼 LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyperdew
🚀 Moonshots Capital:
https://moonshotscapital.com
📘 Book — Take Command: Leadership Principles from the Military to Business:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1596980001
🎙️ Host — AJ Pasciuti
Retired Marine Force Recon Scout Sniper and Marine Gunner, author of Darkhorse: Harnessing Hidden Potential in War and Life, and host of Combat Story.
📕 Darkhorse: https://ajpasciuti.com/Darkhorse
📸 AJ Pasciuti Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajpasciuti
🔗 Website: https://www.ajpasciuti.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The skills and the leadership chops that you have from going through the military have application |
| 0:07.2 | everywhere. You will make any team 5X. And this is exactly what I did on The Apprentice. |
| 0:15.4 | I'd been out of the military for a long time when I went on the show, but Mark Burnett kind of |
| 0:19.3 | cast me as the military guy. |
| 0:21.0 | And I'd hate to go there, but like in The Apprentice, |
| 0:23.5 | it's not like you have to get an A-plus on the project. |
| 0:27.0 | You just have to beat the other team, |
| 0:28.5 | which means efficiency, good decision-making, |
| 0:31.8 | no infighting. |
| 0:32.9 | And that component in any situation typically wins. |
| 0:38.3 | Not just in a reality show. |
| 0:41.3 | Welcome to combat story. |
| 0:46.3 | I'm A.J. Peschuti, a retired Marine, force recon, scout sniper, and Marine gunner with 21 years of service, |
| 0:52.3 | multiple combat tours, and a lifetime of lessons learned in the arena itself. |
| 0:57.0 | On this show, I sit down with warriors from every front line to uncover what combat truly feels like, and how it shapes the way we see life, each other, and ourselves. |
| 1:06.0 | This is Combat Story. |
| 1:09.0 | Today on Combat Story, we're stepping into a different kind of fight, the transition from |
| 1:13.6 | service to impact. |
| 1:15.6 | Kelly Perdue is a West Point Honor graduate, former Army Intelligence Officer, Ranger School |
| 1:20.6 | and Airborne Qualified, and winner of NBC's The Apprentice, Season 2. |
| 1:25.6 | After earning a JD and MBA from UCLA, |
| 1:28.3 | he built and led companies and now backs |
... |
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