The first venture capital firm launched in 1946, when Georges Doriot, a French-American economist at Harvard, founded the American Research and Development Corporation (ARD) to invest in emerging tech firms. Its 1957 investment in Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) became its first win.

Today, there are over 50,000 VC firms around the globe, with roughly 2/3 in the US including leaders focused on every major economic sector. And while many of these invest globally, there are now major VC funds from countries on 6 continents.

US tech names like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, SpaceX and Google were backed by venture capital. Also, InstaCart, PayPal, Zoom, Tesla, Rivian and so many more.

How does venture capital work? Where do VCs get their money and how do they decide to invest? What other than cash do they bring to the table?

How can the NSIB access these funds? How can the USG leverage the VC community to accelerate innovation toward better mission solutions? And how are DOD and the Services already serving the warfighter and the NSIB with accelerators and alternative acquisition paths?

These topics will be the focus of an executive course offered by the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. It will be led by innovation experts from venture capital, government, and business.

John Wilson, Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

John Wilson is a tech entrepreneur and investor with broad experience across climate tech and innovation structures. For eight years he helped speed US development of electric-drive systems as founding director of a DARPA-funded consortium on transportation advances now known as the Center for Transportation and the Environment. He was CEO of the eMotion Mobility venture with American Le Mans owner Donald Panoz and Daimler that developed an electric Smart car for car-sharing. And he advises Johnson Energy Storage, which aims to commercialize advanced lithium battery technologies invented by former Air Force/NASA rocket scientist Lonnie Johnson. Early in his career he worked for two members of Congress developing incentives for renewable energy. He then helped expand them as Legislative Coordinator with the Solar Lobby and as founder of the Renewable Energy Institute. Wilson also co-chaired a staff group between Congress and the White House to speed the government’s digital transition of legislative and regulatory information. He later founded a Washington office for the Southern Legislative Conference and Southern Governors Association, which he headed for three years. In 2012 he became a venture partner with Paladin Capital Group, a leading global investor in innovative cyber companies. For four years he was Board Advisor and then Chief Strategy Officer to a publicly traded SaaS delivery management firm. He also cofounded digital display firm NanoLumens and was founding Chairman of social media ratings firm Share Rocket. In 2011, he helped launch GigTank, a global accelerator for startups on Chattanooga’s Gigabit-fiber network. For over a decade he has co-chaired the Technology Association of Georgia’s Top-40 innovative firm competition and has served as an investor, mentor or judge with Techstars, Georgia Tech’s Flashpoint, NeuroLaunch and CyberLaunch accelerators, Emory University’s Excellerator and Valor Venture’s Startup Runway. He earned his BA in Chemistry from Emory University.

Robin Bienfait, CEO Emnovate and General Partner at Valor Ventures

Robin Bienfait is CEO of Emnovate and General Partner at Valor Ventures, a high-performing seedstage fund built on B2B SaaS investments with a premium inclusion thesis featuring women and minority founders. She brings 25 years of C-level leadership in tech innovation, with grants of 23 patents and roles in over 60 acquisitions at Samsung, Blackberry and AT&T/Bell Labs. Known as a tireless champion of Atlanta’s innovation community, she founded technology accelerator Atlanta Tech Park, serves on the board of Georgia Tech’s student startup program, CreateX, and is a Trustee for the Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation. Robin earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Central Missouri State University and a master’s degree in management of technology from Georgia Tech and was named one of the top 100 CIOs in STEM.

Dan Madden, Principal for National Security at Squadra Ventures

Dan Madden leads Squadra’s National Security practice, sourcing and evaluating companies for investment and supporting post-investment work on federal go-to-market strategy. Previously he was the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director at the National Security Innovation Network, the DoD’s national security technology accelerator. Before that he was a senior policy analyst at RAND Corporation, helping to inform the Department’s modernization and planning efforts. Previously Dan served as an artillery officer in the Marines, a military legislative assistant to the Oversight and Investigations Chair on the House Armed Services Committee, and as special assistant to an Under Secretary of Defense. He is a visiting scholar at Columbia University’s Entrepreneurship Program, and an adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He received a BA in English Literature from the US Naval Academy, a MA in Political Science from Columbia University, and a MA in Comparative Politics from University of California, Davis.

Blake Patton, Founder and Managing General Partner at Tech Square Ventures

Blake Patton is the founder and Managing General Partner of Tech Square Ventures where he leads investments in enterprise software, marketplace, and platform technology companies. Under his leadership, the firm has invested in over 90 early-stage companies. He currently represents Tech Square Ventures as a director or observer on the boards of Pointivo (Chairman), Saleo, Toolpath, Fortify, Yesler, Speedscale, Slip Robotics, and PreTel Health (Chairman). Prior to founding Tech Square Ventures, Blake was General Manager of the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) at Georgia Tech – named by Forbes as one of the “Top 12 Incubators Changing the World”. Prior to ATDC, he served as President & COO of Interactive Advisory Software and EVP of iXL, an internet services company he joined through the acquisition of Swan Media and helped grow the company to over $300 million in annualized revenue and an IPO. Blake serves on the boards of Engage, the Center for American Entrepreneurship (former Chairman), Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures (GATV) and High Tech Ministries. He also serves on the advisory boards of ATDC and Georgia Tech’s Cowan-Turner Center for Servant Leadership. Blake is a former Chairman of Venture Atlanta, a Georgia Tech Alumni Association Trustee, a Georgia Research Alliance Industry Fellow and a member of the selection committee for the NC State Chancellor’s Innovation Fund. Blake also teaches Entrepreneurial Finance at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business. Blake earned a Bachelor of Industrial and Systems Engineering degree from Georgia Tech, where he was captain of the swim team. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering’s Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni and served on the Georgia Tech Advisory Board.

Josh Mendelsohn, Partner at Hangar and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Josh Mendelsohn is the founder and managing partner of Hangar, a New York City firm building public-sector focused products and services from the ground up. His career as a technology investor, entrepreneur, and strategist ranges from Silicon Valley to New York and Washington. For nearly two decades, Josh has been instrumental in the emerging public tech sector as a prominent advocate founding and leading organizations at the intersection of technology and government. In 2016 and 2020, he was part of the senior leadership team that advised Mike Bloomberg on a potential Presidential run. He also advised Bloomberg when he chaired the Defense Innovation Board and continues to serve as a senior technology and innovation advisor to Bloomberg LP leadership. Prior to Hangar, he was a co-founder of Hattery, which prior to a 2013 sale to Google, invested in early-stage startups, using a full-time team of design, engineering, operations, and finance experts to help accelerate the growth of portfolio companies. While at Hattery, Mendelsohn was part of a group of startup founders and investors who formed Engine, an organization focused on bringing policymakers and high-tech, high-growth technology startups together. Prior to Hattery and Engine, he held operating roles across the portfolio of Sequoia Capital. He started his Silicon Valley career as PM at Google where in his 20% time he created the Google Disaster Response Program, now part of Google.org, as well as the @Google Talks program. Josh is a graduate of Harvard University and a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies.