David Cho is the chief commercial officer at SOUND Foods Inc., bringing SOUND’s brand to life and product to market through authentic storytelling of both the problem that SOUND’s technology solves for U.S. warfighter and the opportunity for SOUND’s products with the American consumer. A veteran brand and business leader, Cho has more than 15 years of experience working with both audacious startups and some of the most recognizable names in the sports industry.

Prior to his role at SOUND, Cho gained valuable startup experience as chief business officer of Skyscrape, an advanced textiles company which developed a revolutionary fabric that naturally changes both its shape and insulative value in response to the ambient temperature which Ralph Lauren featured in its Team USA Closing Ceremony Jacket at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Cho fell in love with the dynamic nature of startups and their desire to create something that the world has never seen or even imagined possible.

Cho’s transition to the startup world came on the heels of a decade long career leading varied commercial efforts for two iconic sports brands: Adidas and Nike. His eight-year tenure with Adidas included serving as director of experiential retail and directing all aspects of the brand’s global sports marketing partnership with the NBA. Prior to his time at Adidas, he led strategic planning for Nike’s global men’s training business, managing product creation and go-to-market at a billion-dollar scale.

Upon joining SOUND in January 2020, Cho recognized a unique opportunity to do something dramatically different for a virtually unknown segment of the food market, the feeding of the U.S. warfighter with both standard Meals Ready-to-Eat field rations as well as advanced combat rations. Cho is driven by the enormous impact that food has on the lives of our servicemen and women and the critical role that SOUND’s products can have in sustaining, nourishing, and comforting the Warfighter.

Cho also believes that SOUND can have an enormous impact within the consumer snack bar market. While he credits the sports industry for his insights into consumers’ motivations to lead inspired lives, he now believes that what we eat and how it makes us feel is the foundation of our life goals and accomplishments.

Cho earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University. He later went on to receive his MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Cho volunteers as an investment advisor for the Portland State University School of Business Impact Ventures, helping students learn how to finance a startup from both the perspective of the entrepreneur and the investor.