Speakers

Luke Walter is the Division Chief for AFWERX Insight Division (RGI), providing due diligence and capital markets insights to support transition dual-use and emerging technologies for the Department of the Air Force. Luke began his career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. From 2008 to 2015, he served in various roles with Marine Air Group-24, US INDOPACOM, Special Operations Command Pacific, and 1st Marine Raider Battalion.

Career highlights include three deployments supporting combat operations, humanitarian relief efforts, and international engagements. After leaving active military service, Luke joined PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Senior Associate providing forensic accounting, anti-money laundering, and management consulting services. His work helped clients streamline forensic investigation processes which dramatically increased efficiency, and introduced early cryptocurrency tracking and identification methods.

In 2018, Luke earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Georgetown University. After graduation he joined Meta in New York, working as a Business Planning and Operations Associate within the Marketing Science division. He served as the business partner for several Director-level departments leading international investment, operations and process improvement, commercial partnership, and strategy projects. Returning to Washington, DC, Luke joined Bloomberg Industry Group’s financial planning and analysis office working on special projects and initiatives focused on consumer analytics. However, after several years working in commercial industries, Luke felt a calling back to national security.

In 2021, he joined Systems Planning and Analysis to support the DoD’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) efforts. He was appointed team lead overseeing lawyers and cybersecurity experts responsible for ensuring compliance of national security agreements, and his work professionalized the office’s approach to compliance, monitoring, and enforcement. He joined AFWERX in March 2023.

Daniel Ateya is Managing Director of RTX Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of RTX and its three businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Daniel joined RTX Ventures in March 2022 and brings more than 15 years of experience in a combination of corporate venture capital, strategy, business development and R&D roles. Prior to joining RTX Ventures, Ateya was Director of 3M Ventures and leader of 3M’s Silicon Valley office where he built a large portfolio of venture investments and was involved in a diverse set of partnership and commercial agreements. Prior to 3M, Dan worked at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. as a research associate and project leader developing microfluidic chip technologies for portable diagnostic sensor applications. He has co-authored numerous articles on sensors and advanced materials in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Ateya holds a Ph.D. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also holds an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Born and raised in Western New York, Dan lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and three children.

Ian Eishen is the Director of Global Public Sector for Aalyria Technologies, a Presidential Leadership Fellow, and spent 23 years working in the Intelligence and Special Operations communities. He spent the last and three years developing emerging technology, talent management, and innovation strategy for the militaries of the United States, United Kingdom and France and has spent the last five years working with multiple venture capital firms to identify and scale defense-related startups in order to benefit the United States Government and local community. He was a Principle Investigator in a DARPA-led program to use artificial intelligence and wearable technologies to predict the flu and covid-19, 48 hours before symptoms were present, and was an advisor to the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and Defense Innovation Board.

Since 2017, Ian has worked with Hacking4Defense, a DoD-sponsored university course that instructs students to address emerging threats and security challenges in government. His work with Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and the University of Virginia has spurred multiple solutions that are now included in programs of record across the U.S. Military. Ian is on the Board of Directors for the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, a non-profit built to inspire, connect, and empower people by delivering tangible solutions to promote a culture of innovation in the U.S. national security community.

Ian has also worked on a number of initiatives focused on combating suicidal ideation including a mindfulness smartphone app, a holistic wellness program for military families, and a graphic novel anthology titled “True War Stories” in which veterans learn to address their trauma through storytelling.

Marcus Weisgerber is the Global Business Editor for Defense One, where he writes about the intersection of business and national security. He has been covering defense and national security issues for more than 16 years, previously as Pentagon correspondent for Defense News and chief editor of Inside the Air Force. He has reported from Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, and often travels with the defense secretary and other senior military officials.

Marcus’ work has been cited by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and many other U.S. and international publications. He has provided expert analysis on BBC, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, NPR, SiriusXM and other television and radio networks.

In 2018, he won a Neal Award for his coverage of the Pentagon and defense industry. Marcus served as vice president of the Pentagon Press Association from 2015 to 2022. An avid hockey fan, Marcus earned a bachelor's degree in English/Journalism from the University of New Hampshire.