Aggie Entrepreneur & JB Knowledge CEO James Benham will release his first book at our regular monthly meetup: "Be Your Own VC: 10 Bootstrapping Principles to Generate Cash and Keep Control". James has been a bootstrapped serial entrepreneur since his youth, a corporate innovator, and an angel investor focused on commercializing and investing in technology that transforms the world’s oldest industries. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of JBKnowledge, a multinational technology and consulting company founded in 2001 that develops industry-leading software for the largest insurance companies. JB Knowledge employs nearly 300 personnel in four countries. He is also the Co-Founder of two insurance tech products: SmartCompliance and Terra. Prior to being focused solely on insurance, James built multiple technology products for the construction industry. His most successful, SmartBid, became the leading construction bidding software for general contractors worldwide, culminating in a multi-million-dollar acquisition in 2018. James is a supporter of the Raymond Ideas Challenge at Texas A&M University and also the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. He was appointed to the Texas Southern University (TSU) Board of Regents by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in October 2020. James served for five years as an Adjunct Professor of Construction Science at Texas A&M University and still volunteers as a mentor and advisor for student groups. James also served the City of College Station as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner from 2011 to 2012 and was elected to two terms on the College Station City Council from 2012 to 2018; he also served as Mayor Pro Tem. He is a member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO). He lives in College Station with his wife and two daughters and is an avid airplane pilot and musician. James received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting in 2001 and a Master of Science in Management Information Systems in 2002, both from Texas A&M University.