Stanford Seminar - Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government: In-Q-Tel’s George Hoyem

In-Q-Tel's role as the venture capital arm of the U.S. intelligence community is examined, focusing on its mission to source innovation from startups and adapt technologies for national intelligence purposes. George Hoyem, Vice President of Investments at In-Q-Tel, describes their dual investment approach: equity investments and adaptation projects, where technologies are piloted against real-world problems. He highlights the importance of early involvement in companies to shape product development and facilitate government partnerships, citing Anduril and GitLab as successful examples of this strategy. The discussion also addresses the shift towards dual-use technologies, balancing commercial success with government applications, and the challenges of counterintelligence in Silicon Valley.