Jump to content

In-Q-Tel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In-Q-Tel
TypePrivately held not-for-profit corporation (501(c)(3))
GenreTechnology research, Government (taxpayer) funded Venture capital firm
PredecessorPeleus
FoundedSeptember 29, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-09-29) (as Peleus)
FoundersNorm Augustine[1]
Gilman Louie[2]
HeadquartersTysons, Virginia, U.S.[3]
Key peopleSteve Bowsher (President and CEO)[4]
ServicesInvestment in information technology supporting U.S. intelligence capability
Revenue108,260,393 USD (2024)
Total assets1,033,475,545 United States dollar (2022) Edit this on Wikidata
Websitewww.iqt.org Edit this at Wikidata
Footnotes
[5]

In-Q-Tel (IQT), formerly Peleus and In-Q-It, is an independent American not-for-profit venture capital firm based in Tysons, Virginia.[6][7] It invests in companies to keep the US Intelligence Community equipped with the latest in information technology in support of United States intelligence capability.[2] The corporation receives funding primarily through contracts with the CIA[8] and other U.S. government partners, but is not owned by the CIA.[9] The name "In-Q-Tel" is an intentional reference to Q, the fictional inventor who supplies technology to James Bond.[10]

History

[edit]

Originally named Peleus and known as In-Q-It, In-Q-Tel was "the brainchild" of former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet.[11] Gilman Louie was In-Q-Tel's first CEO[2][10] and Norm Augustine, a former CEO of Lockheed Martin, led the board of directors.[12] In-Q-Tel's mission is to identify and invest in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve United States national security interests. Congress approved funding for In-Q-Tel, which was increased in later years.[13] Origins of the corporation can also be traced to Ruth A. David, who headed the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Science & Technology in the 1990s and promoted the importance of rapidly advancing information technology for the CIA.[10]

The organization was created in part to provide the intelligence community with access to commercially developed technologies rather than relying solely on classified internal research and development.[14][15][16]

In-Q-Tel engages with entrepreneurs, growth companies, researchers, and venture capitalists to deliver technologies that provide superior capabilities for the CIA, DIA, NGA, and the wider intelligence community.[17] Other U.S. government agencies also work with[18] The Department of Homeland Security's Science & Technology Directorate has described its collaboration with In-Q-Tel as a means of identifying emerging technologies for DHS partners.[19]

In-Q-Tel concentrates on three broad commercial technology areas: software, infrastructure and materials sciences.

Former CIA director George Tenet said,

We [the CIA] decided to use our limited dollars to leverage technology developed elsewhere. In 1999 we chartered ... In-Q-Tel. ... While we pay the bills, In-Q-Tel is independent of CIA. CIA identifies pressing problems, and In-Q-Tel provides the technology to address them. The In-Q-Tel alliance has put the Agency back at the leading edge of technology ... This ... collaboration ... enabled CIA to take advantage of the technology that Las Vegas uses to identify corrupt card players and apply it to link analysis for terrorists [cf. the parallel data-mining effort by the SOCOM-DIA operation Able Danger], and to adapt the technology that online booksellers use and convert it to scour millions of pages of documents looking for unexpected results.[20]

In-Q-Tel sold 5,636 shares of Google, worth over US$2.2 million, on November 15, 2005.[21] The share transfer was a result of Google's acquisition of Keyhole, Inc, the CIA-funded satellite mapping software now known as Google Earth.[22]

In August 2006, In-Q-Tel reviewed more than 5,800 business plans and invested approximately $150M in more than 90 companies.[2][23]

As of 2016, In-Q-Tel listed 325 investments, but more than 100 were secret, according to the Washington Post.[13]

In 2018 and 2019, In-Q-Tel expanded its activities internationally with the establishment of offices in London and Sydney.[24][25] In December 2023, the organization announced the opening of a Singapore office to support engagement in the Asia-Pacific region.[26] According to the company’s own milestones record, a further office was added in Munich in 2023.[27]

Governance

[edit]

In-Q-Tel is a Virginia-registered corporation,[28] legally independent of the CIA or any other government agency. The corporation is bound by its Charter agreement and annual contract with the CIA, which set out the relationship between the two organizations. In-Q-Tel's mission (to support the Intelligence Community's technical needs) is promoted by the In-Q-Tel Interface Center (QIC), an office within the CIA that facilitates communication between In-Q-Tel and government intelligence organizations.[29] While In-Q-Tel is a nonprofit corporation, it differs from IARPA and other models in that its employees and trustees can profit from its investments. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that in 2016, nearly half of In-Q-Tel's trustees had a financial connection with a company the corporation had funded.[13]

In-Q-Tel's current president and CEO is Steve Bowsher.

Original members of the board include Lee A. Ault, III, Norman R. Augustine, John Seely Brown, Michael M. Crow, Stephen Friedman, Paul G. Kaminski, Jeong H. Kim, Alex J. Mandl, John N. McMahon, and William J. Perry.[30]

Christopher A. Darby was appointed president and chief executive officer in 2006, a position he held until December 2023. On 14 December 2023, Steve Bowsher, formerly the organisation's president, was appointed to succeed him as CEO,[31][32][33] while Darby transitioned to vice chair of the board. As of 2009, the chairman of the board is Michael M. Crow,[34] president of Arizona State University.[35][36]

Investments

[edit]

In-Q-Tel operations are partially public, but specific products and their uses are classified.[37] Its portfolio, includes a range of technology startups and research initiatives.

Software

[edit]
  • A4Vision – 3D facial imaging
  • Adapx – Microsoft Office & GIS
  • Agent Logic – event detection and response software – Webspector webpage change software
  • Algorithmic - Infrastructure for deploying and scaling AI/ML models
  • Authentica – secure messaging and secure document sharing
  • AzTE] PRISM – handwriting recognition
  • Boundless Spatial – geospatial software - acquired by Planet Labs
  • Carnegie Speech – speech recognition
  • Cassatt – desktop software
  • D2iQ (formerly Mesosphere) – Apache Mesos and Kubernetes consulting firm
  • Dreadnode - AI and offensive security testing[38]
  • FMS – analysis, visualization, and knowledgebase to the United States Intelligence Community
  • Fetch Technologies – Internet Data Management -bots & RSS
  • Fuel3D – 3D scanning[13]
  • GeoIQ FortiusOne – visualization on maps
  • Geosemble – unstructured data analytics and geospatial software - acquired by TerraGo
  • HEO - Space Imagery[39]
  • Initiate Systems – real-time multiple database software
  • Intelliseek – search engine[13]
  • Internet Evidence Finder[40] – Digital forensic tool[13]
  • Interset – Security Analytics/User Behavior Analytics[41]
  • Looking Glass Factory - Holography[42]
  • Mohomine mohoClassifier – organises mass data[13]
  • NovoDynamics – Arabic character recognition
  • Nozomi Networks – OT and IoT security and visibility[43]
  • Oculis Labs – visual cyber security solutions
  • PiXlogic – visual search
  • Quantum4D – visualization technology
  • ReversingLabs – malware detection and analysis
  • Sayari – financial intelligence and supply chain risk software mapping global corporate ownership and commercial relationships
  • SRD – identity resolution software
  • SafeWeb PrivacyMatrix – browsing (closed in Nov. 2001)[13]
  • Silver Tail Systems – website fraud prevention
  • Stratify – organizes mass data[13]
  • TRX Systems – 3D mapping[13]
  • Visible Technologies – social media monitoring
  • Zaplet – email
  • ArcSight – secure software[13]
  • Attensity – search engine
  • Basis Technology – multilingual text analytics and cyber forensics[13]
  • CallMiner – CX automation and conversation intelligence[44]
  • Connectify – Wifi & VPN
  • Convera RetrievalWare – search engine
  • Destineer – games FPS training simulation
  • Digital Reasoning – Synthesys v3.0 – review facts and associations at a glance
  • Endeca – search data repositories
  • FireEye – malware protection
  • Forterra Systems – virtual worlds for training
  • Huddle – cloud-based content collaboration software
  • Inktomi Corp – network infrastructure software
  • InnoCentive – crowdsourcing websites
  • Inxight – search engine
  • Keyhole, Inc – Geospatial visualization application (Acquired by Google in 2004 and would go on to become Google Earth in 2005)
  • Language Weaver – automatic language translation
  • Lingotek – translation services
  • MemSQL – Distributed, in-memory, SQL database management system for real-time analytics
  • MetaCarta – search engine
  • Palantir Technologies – data integration, search and discovery, knowledge management, and secure collaboration[45]
  • Platfora – big data analytics and visualization
  • Recorded Future – web intelligence and predictive analytics
  • SRA OrionMagic – cms software
  • Socrata – Open Data Solutions for Government Innovation
  • Spotfire – visualization data analytics
  • Tacit Knowledge Systems – internal software[13]
  • Teradici Corporation – desktop virtualization
  • TerraGo – location intelligence applications and software GeoPDF
  • Traction Software – web 2.0[13]
  • Visual Sciences – real-time visual analysis
  • Wickr - Encrypted messaging application[46]
  • zSpace (company) – 3-Dimensional holographic imaging displays

Infrastructure

[edit]
Hardware
Data centers
  • Bay Microsystems – packet processing and data traffic[13]
  • Systems Research and Development – real-time data warehousing[13]
  • Network Appliance – Decru (networked data storage)[13]
  • JetCool – liquid cooling for data centres[52]
Bioscience

Natural resources

[edit]
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "A new partnership between the CIA and the private sector". Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "In-Q-Tel, Inc. Company Information". Hoover's. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Contact Us". In-Q-Tel. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Executive Team". Archived from the original on February 8, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ "In-Q-Tel". Internal Revenue Service filings. ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
  6. ↑ "IQT Quarterly Recap – Fall 2024". www.iqt.org. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  7. ↑ "In-Q-Tel". CauseIQ. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  8. ↑ "In-Q-Tel invests in data center in space firm Starcloud". www.datacenterdynamics.com. August 8, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  9. ↑ Paletta, Damian (August 30, 2016). "The CIA's Venture-Capital Firm, Like Its Sponsor, Operates in the Shadows". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Powers, Shawn M; Jablonski, Michael (April 2015). The Real Cyber War. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press. pp. 63–69. ISBN 978-0-252-09710-2. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  11. ↑ Rosen, Jeffrey (April 14, 2002). "Silicon Valley's Spy Game". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2025. Retrieved June 9, 2025.
  12. ↑ Yannuzzi, Rick E. (2000). "In-Q-Tel: A new partnership between the CIA and the private sector". Central Intelligence Agency. ISSN 1061-6845. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Paletta, Damian (August 30, 2016). "The CIA's Venture-Capital Firm, Like Its Sponsor, Operates in the Shadows". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on August 31, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  14. ↑ Reinert, John (January 1, 2013). "In-Q-Tel: The Central Intelligence Agency as Venture Capitalist". Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business. 33 (3): 677.
  15. ↑ "The CIA's In-Q-Tel Model: It's Applicability" (PDF). apps.dtic.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  16. ↑ Bergen, Peter. "How the CIA Got into the Venture Capital Game". New America. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Technology Focus". In-Q-Tel. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014. IQT is focused on new and emerging commercial technologies that have the potential to give the CIA and broader U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) mission-advantage today and in the future. As a strategic partner, we work with the IC ...
  18. ↑ Alamalhodaei, Aria (May 19, 2023). "Stoke Space has received repeated investments from the venture arm for the U.S. intelligence community". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  19. ↑ "IQT | Homeland Security". www.dhs.gov. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
  20. ↑ George Tenet (2007), At The Center Of The Storm: My Years at the CIA, Harper Press, p. 26
  21. ↑ "CIA sells Google shares". November 15, 2005. Archived from the original on December 17, 2009.
  22. ↑ "Former Google exec sheds light on KC startups, Kansas tech scene". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  23. ↑ In-Q-Tel website: Investing in our National Security. Archived 2012-11-06 at the Wayback Machine Obtained August 2006.
  24. ↑ "IQT Establishes International Offices". www.iqt.org. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ Edwards, Jane (November 15, 2018). "In-Q-Tel Opens Offices in Australia, UK - ExecutiveBiz". www.executivebiz.com. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  26. ↑ Staff, TechNode Global (December 14, 2023). "US venture capital firm In-Q-Tel establishes office in Singapore". TNGlobal. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  27. ↑ "IQT | About | Our Milestones". www.iqt.org. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  28. ↑ "In-Q-Tel Bloomberg Company Overview". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  29. ↑ "In-Q-Tel: A New Partnership Between the CIA and the Private Sector". Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  30. ↑ "BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN SILICON VALLEY AND THE CAPITAL BELTWAY: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT'S VENTURE CAPITAL AND STARTUP ENGAGEMENTS IN INTELLIGENCE AND DEFENSE". May 4, 2018. p. 55. Archived from the original on January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Steve Bowsher Assumes Role of IQT Chief Executive Officer". www.iqt.org. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  32. ↑ McDonough, Annie (December 6, 2023). "Council staff union stages silent protest during stated meeting to push for fair contract". City & State NY. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  33. ↑ "In-Q-Tel President Steve Bowsher Takes on CEO Role". GovCon Wire. December 15, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  34. ↑ "In-Q-Tel – About Team". Archived from the original on July 16, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Biography and curriculum vitae | Office of the President". president.asu.edu. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  36. ↑ "How investments in cybersecurity link Michael Crow, the CIA and a venture-capital nonprofit - The Arizona State Press". www.statepress.com. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  37. ↑ O'Hara, Terence (August 15, 2005). "In-Q-Tel, CIA's Venture Arm, Invests in Secrets". Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017 – via washingtonpost.com.
  38. ↑ Ryan Naraine (February 25, 2025). "Offensive AI Startup Dreadnode Secures $14M to Stress-Test AI Systems". SecurityWeek. Retrieved April 29, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Space imagery startup HEO raises $8 million". August 23, 2023.
  40. ↑ Archived 2016-04-23 at the Wayback Machine Magnet Forensics Press Release Dec 8 2015
  41. ↑ "In-Q-Tel Invests in User Behavior Analytics Leader Interset to Stay Ahead of Cyber Attacks on Sensitive Data". Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
  42. ↑ "The Brooklyn Hologram Studio Receiving Millions From the CIA". The Intercept. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  43. ↑ "Nozomi Networks Announces Strong Growth and New Funding in the First Half of 2020". Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Speech analytics firm CallMiner raises $9.6m | News". Research Live. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  45. ↑ Weinberger, Sharon (September 28, 2020). "Is Palantir's Crystal Ball Just Smoke and Mirrors?". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  46. ↑ "CIA Funding Arm Gave Encrypted App Wickr $1.6 Million". October 12, 2021. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  47. ↑ https://brutkasten.com/artikel/xarion-laser-acoustics-investment
  48. ↑ https://xarion.com
  49. ↑ "Xanadu secures $120 million CAD led by Bessemer to build photonic quantum computer | BetaKit". May 25, 2021. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Tyfone and In-Q-Tel Sign Strategic Agreement to Bring Mobile Security in Cloud and NFC Transactions for U.S. Government – In-Q-Tel". www.iqt.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  51. ↑ "Reusable Rocket Builder Stoke Space Gets $100M in New Series B Funding". GovCon Wire. October 6, 2023. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  52. ↑ "JetCool Raises $17 Million Series A Funding Round to Meet Escalating Demand for Data Center Cooling Driven by the AI and High-Density Semiconductor Boom". www.businesswire.com. October 11, 2023. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  53. ↑ "Woolly Mammoth, Dodo Get Another Shot as Startup Raises $200 Million". Bloomberg.
  54. ↑ Hodgson, Camilla (July 8, 2026). "Rare earths from Trump-backed US mines sold to Asia". Financial Times. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  55. ↑ Dan Geer leaves Verdasys for In-Q-Tel Archived 2008-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, by Ryan Naraine, ZDNet, May 28, 2008. Accessed 2008-07-09.
  56. ↑ "IN-Q-TEL NAMES DR. MICHAEL D. GRIFFIN AS PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER – In-Q-Tel". www.iqt.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  57. ↑ "Taira on Offensive". Science. 311 (5763): 931. 2006. doi:10.1126/science.311.5763.931d. S2CID 162239621. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  58. ↑ "Gilman Louie". Federation Of American Scientists. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Paul G. Kaminski Bloomberg Profile". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  60. ↑ "IN-Q-TEL ANNOUNCES AMIT YORAN AS NEW CEO – In-Q-Tel". www.iqt.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  61. 1 2 3 4 "Board of Trustees". In-Q-Tel. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  62. ↑ "Becky Bace In Memoriam". www.southalabama.edu. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  63. ↑ York, Carnegie Corporation of New. "Luciana Borio". Carnegie Corporation of New York. Retrieved January 14, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  64. ↑ "Jeong H. Kim Bloomberg Profile". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=In-Q-Tel&oldid=1372954195"