The wave of technological change that has transformed almost every aspect of American society is also forcing the intelligence community to change. The U.S. is at an inflection point in terms of its competitiveness and technological advancement against nation-state rivals that have moved online. This national security shift is why the government is devoting large resources to the development of next-generation cybersecurity technologies.
Many today forget that Silicon Valley is a byproduct of massive federal government investment during World War II. The National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NASA and other government agencies are all pushing budget dollars for offensive and defensive operations against nation-state adversaries. In response, a large population of cyber-related engineers has developed around D.C. In 2018, the national capital area graduated more engineers from its college system than any other region in the nation.
As part of this effort, In-Q-Tel is a strategic investor that identifies and accelerates innovations to support the mission of the U.S. intelligence and defense agencies. The firm has been putting money into some of the most promising cybersecurity technology companies for years. The purpose of this investment is not growth or return on investment: It’s to inject commercial technology into the government. That’s great for top-secret government protection, but what about the private sector? There are ways to get this improved cybersecurity protection to the broader public in a much faster way.
When focused on cybersecurity, a new startup foundry approach is the opposite of the In-Q-Tel model. Both models look for the most promising cybersecurity technology. But a startup foundry approach takes aspiring entrepreneurs with next-generation cybersecurity knowledge and gives them a startup environment where they have every advantage. This spreads the cybe ..
Support the originator by clicking the read the rest link below.
