Defense Department

Defense Tech Executives: Capital Markets Now Powering Military Innovation

Federal acquisition lags private-sector advances, creating deployment gaps across key defense technologies.

Akul Saxena

Dec 4, 2025 — 2 min read

Photo of panelist (from left): Lukas Czinger, founder and CEO of Divergent Technologies, Teresa Carlson, president of the General Catalyst Institute, and host Michal Lev-Ram, the Hill (moderator)

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2025 — Defense technology executives urged an expanded use of artificial intelligence and updated federal policies to keep pace with national security requirements.

At a forum hosted by The Hill on Wednesday, speakers said automated manufacturing systems and software based engineering tools now advance faster than federal acquisition and certification processes can support. This mismatch has made it difficult for agencies to integrate technologies that are already widely used in commercial markets.

Teresa Carlson, founding president of the General Catalyst Institute, the policy arm of a venture capital firm, said national defense depends on whether agencies can evaluate and adopt AI enabled tools as they are developed.

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Defense Department national security AI Mount Sinai Hospital Terese Carlson The Hill AI in America Summit Lukas Czinger Michal Lev-Ram Teresa Carlson General Catalyst Institute Venture Capital Capital Markets Divergent Technologies