At Georgetown’s 2026 Venture in the Capital Summit, Jorge Guajardo Sada (SFS’26) moderated a panel on building technology for warfighters at the tactical edge. Panelists were Dan Magy of Firestorm Labs, Adam Warmoth of Chariot Defense, Jake Chapman of Marque Ventures and Guy Filippelli of Squadra Ventures.
The panel described how the war in Ukraine has disrupted every link of the old chain for sending drones and data to forward troops, and why units now need capabilities they can fix, build and adapt on their own. Founders shared how field exercises reward units for trying new technology, and warned that troops “will break your stuff,” so products need hands-on support. Investors said startups need a clear reason they can win against large defense primes. Filippelli closed with advice to students not to rush to found a company, since experience first is valuable.