Relationship to Blank
Pete Newell is a retired U.S. Army Colonel who collaborated with Blank on applying Lean Innovation methods to defense acquisition and co-developed the Mission Model Canvas (with Blank and Alexander Osterwalder). Newell founded BMNT (formerly BMNT Partners), a company that applies lean startup methods to national security and government innovation.
Career
Newell commanded the Army's Rapid Equipping Force, where he pioneered rapid technology acquisition for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the Army, he founded BMNT and became a key figure in the "Hacking for" movement, helping to scale Hacking for Defense and related programs. He teaches at Stanford.
Mission Model Canvas Contribution
Newell's practical experience with military acquisition — where the "customer" is a mission, not a market — drove the adaptation of Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas into the Mission Model Canvas. This adaptation replaces revenue streams with mission achievement metrics and customer segments with beneficiaries, making Customer Development applicable to government contexts.
Sources: BMNT, Stanford profiles, steveblank.com