Investing in Hard Tech & Defense – Venture in The Capital 2024 [Video]

This is the Investing in Hard Tech & Defense Panel and was recorded as part of Georgetown University’s 2024 Venture In The Capital Conference. It was moderated by Drew Peterson (MSB’25) and Phoebe Martin (MSB ’24).

https://eship.georgetown.edu/events/venture-in-the-capital/

Panelists:

Don Burnette: Founder & CEO, Kodiak Robotics – https://kodiak.ai/
Sarah Hess: West Coast Director, Silicon Valley Defense Group – https://www.siliconvalleydefense.org/
Neil Keegan: CEO, Marlinspike – https://marlinspike.us/
J.D. Englehart: Investment Director, In-Q-Tel – https://www.iqt.org/

Don Burnette is the Founder & CEO of Kodiak Robotics. Don is one of the autonomous vehicle industry’s true pioneers, with more than ten years experience working on self-driving software development. He began his career as a software tech lead for the Google self-driving car project, the predecessor to Waymo. After over five years at Google, Don left the company to co-found Otto, the first self-driving truck startup, which was acquired by Uber. After nearly two years as Software Technical Lead at Uber, Don left to found Kodiak.

Sarah Hess is the West Coast Director of Silicon Valley Defense Group and an Investor/Operator at Lux Capital focused on defense and dual-use investments. Previously, Sarah served as the Deputy Lead to launch the NATO Innovation Fund, a billion euro venture capital fund modeled off of In-Q-Tel that aims to invest in dual-use deep technologies. She has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency on science and technology analysis in East Asia and for Apple on international project management. Sarah completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University, and has lived abroad four times and traveled to 54 countries.

Neil P. Keegan is the CEO, Co-Managing Partner, and Co-Founder of Marlinspike. Prior to founding Marlinspike, for eleven years he was the CEO and Chief Investment Officer for Roanoke Capital Management (RCM), a single-family office based out of Los Angeles, CA. Neil has deep investment expertise in portfolio management and alternative asset investing, to include private equity, venture capital, and real estate. In the venture space, he has led minority General Partner investments in one venture debt fund and two venture equity funds, as well as an early co-investment in SpaceX. Before he began his role at Roanoke, Neil spent seven years at Goldman, Sachs & Co. At Goldman, he worked in the Equites Division in New York and in the Investment Management Division in Los Angeles. Neil joined Goldman after earning his MA in International Relations with a concentration in International Finance from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC. Preceding graduate school, Neil served for six years on active duty as a Surface Warfare Officer in the United States Navy. Neil graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, with a BS in History. Neil was a defenseman for the Division I Varsity Lacrosse team from 1991-1994. Neil is a Board Member for Yellow Ribbon Fund, a charitable organization which provides support to injured service men and women and their families upon return from the battlefield. Neil is also a trustee for the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation (Athletic and Scholarship Program). Neil holds his Series 7 license and is a registered representative with Roberts & Ryan. Neil resides in Chevy Chase, MD and is the proud father of twin girls.

In-Q-Tel is a non-profit strategic investor that accelerates the development and delivery of cutting-edge technologies to the US, UK, and Australian government agencies that preserve and defend democratic values and norms. IQT was established in 1999 and has invested in over 700 companies since our inception.