Ideas worth saying out loud.
20+ years, 11 deals, and an AI operating system in production. Not theory — practitioner perspective from someone actively building.
Invite Van to SpeakWhat Van talks about
The Autonomous Business
Van Murray doesn't talk about AI. He demonstrates it — live, with Mahiri, the autonomous business operating system he built and runs. This talk ends with a product demo that shows what a real small business looks like when it runs itself. Audiences leave with a fundamentally different mental model of what's possible in the next 24 months — not theory, not hype, not another ChatGPT slide deck.
For: Technology conferences, founder events, SMB summits, innovation keynotes
The Technology Arc
Van Murray was twelve years old when he discovered bulletin boards. He was building companies through the dot-com boom, Y2K, Novell to Active Directory, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID — and now, as AI reshapes every business model in real time, he's building the operating system for what comes next. This isn't a tech talk — it's a 30-year first-person account of what major transitions actually look like from inside the building, told by someone who was never watching from the sidelines.
For: Technology conferences, partner summits, innovation keynotes
Buy, Build, Sell, Repeat
Eleven M&A deals in ten years — buyer, seller, and everything in between. Van Murray has been on both sides of the table enough times to know what actually kills deals, what the seller won't volunteer, and what the buyer never thinks to ask until it's too late. These are the lessons nobody publishes because they're too honest — and they're exactly what founders need before they sign their first LOI.
For: EO, YPO, business school programs, founder peer groups
The Entrepreneur Engineer
Van Murray has a BS in Electrical Engineering from NC State and multiple company exits. He never stopped thinking like an engineer — and this talk is about what that combination actually buys you in business and where it gets in your way. Built for engineers who want to build companies and for founders who wish they'd spent more time understanding the systems before scaling the pitch deck.
For: Engineering alumni events, startup ecosystems, technical founder meetups
Leading Without a Salary
For ten years, Van Murray served as President of Clean Jordan Lake — a nonprofit he helped build from zero to a $75K operating fund, 250+ tons of trash removed from Jordan Lake, and a 5-year strategic plan now being transitioned to new leadership. What a decade of leading without pay teaches you about accountability, trust, and building anything from scratch when the only currency you have is trust is more transferable than most business school curricula — and considerably more expensive to learn any other way.
For: Nonprofit leadership, community organizations, civic engagement events
Featured Audience
Van speaks to engineering students and alumni on the path from technical discipline to company-building. To inquire about NC State Entrepreneurship or Engineering Alumni engagements: van@vanmurray.com
Who books Van
Who books Van
- Technology conferences and summits
- EO, YPO, and founder peer groups
- SMB-focused industry associations
- Business schools and MBA programs
- Channel partner and reseller events
What format
- Keynote (30–60 min)
- Panel discussion / moderated Q&A
- Workshop (half-day)
- Fireside chat
- Virtual or in-person
What they get
- Practitioner perspective, not theory
- Real case studies from active builds
- Pattern recognition from 11 deals
- No buzzword theater — plain talk
- Actionable frameworks, not slides
Ready to have Van at your event?
Send a message through the contact form with your event details — date, audience, format, and topic interest.