The Pentagon Road to Venture Capital

US Innovative Technology Fund: James Geurts, former assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, also acquisitions executive at Special Operations Command (2021); Hugh Wyman Howard III, retired rear admiral, former commanding officer of Naval Special Warfare Command (2022); Ryan McCarthy, former secretary of the Army (2021); Richard Spencer, former secretary of the Navy (2019). Sally Donnelly, former aide (2018) to former Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, serves as adviser to Thomas Tull, the founder of Innovative Technology Fund. Defense-related investments: Gecko Robotics (automated maintenance assessments), Saronic Technologies (autonomous naval vessels), Primer (A.I. software), Capella Space (satellites), Shield AI (A.I. pilot), Anduril (defense software/autonomous vehicles).

8VC: Brian Hendrickson, retired Navy rear admiral, Southern Command, and military director, Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (2019). Defense-related investments: Anduril Industries (defense software/autonomous weapons), Epirus (counter drone), Palantir (A.I. software), Saronic Technologies (autonomous naval vessels).

Lux Capital: Raymond Anthony Thomas III, retired general, U.S. Special Operations Command (2019); James Geurts, former assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, and acquisitions executive at Special Operations Command (2021). Defense-related investments: Hadrian (advanced manufacturing), Saildrone (autonomous maritime surveillance), Anduril (defense software/autonomous vehicles), Impulse Space (space payload delivery), Astranis (space communications), Primer (A.I. software), Relativity (space launch).

SineWave Ventures: J David Harris, former chief data scientist, National Security Agency (2021); Brian Hibbeln, former director, Defense Department Remote Sensing Center (2020). Defense-related investments: Clarifai (computer vision, large language A.I.), Shabodi (communications networks).

General Catalyst: Scott Howell, retired Air Force lieutenant general, former Joint Special Operations Command (2021). Defense-related investments: Vannevar Labs (defense software), Anduril (defense software/autonomous drones), Applied Intuition (autonomous vehicle software).