By Brian Smith

For nearly 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of leading investments at In-Q-Tel (IQT) in support of the national security mission — helping build commercial technology companies that strengthen the capabilities of the U.S. government and its allies.

When I started at IQT two decades ago, the national security innovation ecosystem barely existed in its current form. There were only a handful of investors focused on national security markets, and government engagement with technology companies was still an exception rather than the norm.

That has changed dramatically.

Today, we are witnessing an unprecedented wave of innovation across defense tech, space, cyber, AI, advanced manufacturing, energy resilience, and dual-use systems. The mission demands faster adoption cycles, deeper public-private collaboration, and significantly more private capital flowing into technologies that matter strategically.

That’s what makes this moment so exciting — and why I’m thrilled to join Washington Harbour Partners (WHP).

One of IQT’s most important — and often underappreciated — contributions has never just been capital or technical expertise. It has been trust. IQT and its people earned a reputation as trusted government insiders — fluent in the market and mission gaps where technology could bring capability and value in serving its government partners.

WHP has built an exceptional platform for supporting founders and owners tackling some of the most important national security and industrial challenges of our time. But equally, the WHP team takes a similar approach with scaled, flexible private capital — serving as trusted government specialists who understand government and bring the technology and strategic resources needed to close the gaps in areas that deliver real, long-term value. The focus is not on the Nice-to-Haves, but the Must-Haves that the broader Defense Industrial Base requires.

I’m especially excited to work alongside Mina Faltas, whose vision for the future of national security investing is both ambitious and deeply aligned with the evolving needs of the market and mission community. Mina and the WHP team have built something distinctive: developing an elite portfolio of companies that move the needle dramatically for the nation.

For me, this move is a natural continuation of the mission that has defined my career: building companies and supporting entrepreneurs shaping the future of national security, while continuing to expand the broader innovation ecosystem that IQT has pioneered.

The need to accelerate partnerships between government and commercial technology companies has never been greater. I believe the next decade of national security innovation will be transformational, and I’m excited to help build it.