In-Q-Tel of Arlington, Virginia, United States is a not-for-profit venture
capital firm that invests in high-tech companies for the sole purpose of
keeping the Central Intelligence Agency, and other intelligence agencies,
equipped with the latest in information technology in support of United States
intelligence capability. History
Originally named Peleus and known as In-Q-It, In-Q-Tel was launched in 1999
under the direction of Gilman Louie. In-Q-Tel’s mission is to identify and
invest in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that serve
United States national security interests. Originally associated with
the Central Intelligence Agency Directorate of Science & Technology,
In-Q-Tel now 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.
In-Q-Tel concentrates on three broad commercial technology areas: software,
infrastructure and materials sciences. Former CIA director George Tenet says,
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.
In-Q-Tel sold 5,636 shares of Google, worth over $2.2 million, on November 15,
2005. The stocks were a result of Google’s acquisition of Keyhole, the CIA
funded satellite mapping software now known as Google Earth.
As of August 2006, In-Q-Tel had reviewed more than 5,800 business plans, invested
some $150 million in more than 90 companies, and delivered more than 130
technology solutions to the intelligence community. In 2005 it was said to be
funded with about $37 million a year from the CIA.
Former board members include Norman Augustine, William Perry, Anita K. Jones
and Gilman Louie. Governance
In-Q-Tel is a Virginia-registered corporation, 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, an office within the CIA that facilitates communication and
relationships between In-Q-Tel and government intelligence organizations.
While In-Q-Tel is a nonprofit corporation, it differs from IARPA and
other models in that its employees can profit from its investments. According
to public records, In-Q-Tel's current principals include:
Christopher A. R. Darby, President/CEO Bruce Adams, Secretary
Michael M. Crow, Chairman Paul G. Kaminski, Director
Jeong H. Kim, Director Investments
Many companies listed on In-Q-Tel's investment website page are secret.
In-Q-Tel functions partially in public; however, what products it has and how
they are used is strictly secret. According to the Washington Post,
"virtually any U.S. entrepreneur, inventor or research scientist working
on ways to analyze data has probably received a phone call from In-Q-Tel or
at least been Googled by its staff of technology-watchers."
= Software= Socrata - Open Data Solutions for
Government Innovation = Material science=
Biotech Biomatrica - biolab tech anhydrobiosis
storage SpectraFluidics - detection of trace
airborne chemicals Arcxis Biotechnologies - sample
processing and pathogen detection febit group - DNA
Boreal Genomics - DNA fingerprints T2 Biosystems - medical diagnostic
devices, miniaturized magnetic resonance OpGen -microbial genome analysis
Infobionics - biotech cellular database Microchip Biotechnologies -analysis
instrumentation for biodefense Cambrios Technologies - biomaterials for
solid-state electronic devices Seahawk Biosystems - diagnosis biosensor
products Sionex -chemical and biological sensors
Polychromix -material analysis and chemical sensing
IatroQuest - detect biological and chemical agents
IntegenX - NanoBioProcessor & molecular diagnostics
Seventh Sense Biosystems - health monitoring and medical diagnostics
Sonitus Medical - transmits sound via the teeth
MedShape - orthopedic devices from shape memory materials
Electricity Electro Energy - nickel-metal hydride
batteries for satellites & aircraft Qynergy Corporation - Long-lived
batteries, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems
Infinite Power Solutions -micro-batteries
Skybuilt Power - solar, wind, fuel cells, batteries, fossil fuels,
telecommunications -Mobile Power Station(MPS) 3.5 kW to 150 kW
Semprius - solar energy AdaptivEnergy - miniature piezo
generators Power Assure - managing power
consumption MiserWare - reduces energy
Electronics Nanosys - nanotech components
Alfalight - high-power lasers & torches IDELIX Software - pliable display
technology Perceptive Pixel - multi-touch displays
WiSpry - radio components Nextreme Thermal Solutions -
circuit-board thermoelectric components Digital Solid State Propulsion -
electronic controls for solid rocket motors
Infinite Z - virtual-holographic monitors
Video 3VR Security - DVR archiving
MotionDSP - digital video Pixim - video cameras
COPAN - data storage iMove - immersive video
Pelican Imaging - better camera phones LensVector -optical autofocus
InView Technology Corporation - cameras and hyper-spectral imagers
Rhevision - tunable camera lens Signal Innovations Group - signal,
image, and video analytics Elemental Technologies -video processing
KZO Innovations - streaming video software
VSee - video conferencing = Infrastructure=
Hardware Genia Photonics - fiber-optics products
Advanced Photonix, Inc. -fiber optics SitScape -Command & Control room
hardware SpotterRF - micro surveillance radar
QD Vision -monitors, displays and lighting
GATR Technologies -inflatable satellite dishes
CoreStreet - door access control systems Etherstack - radios
Paratek microwave - smart scanning antennas
D-Wave Systems - quantum computers Sensor networks
ThingMagic - RFID Dust Networks - low-power wireless mesh
networking systems Ember Corporation - ZigBee- wireless
semiconductor Gainspan - low power Wi-Fi
Tendril Networks - software for wireless sensor and control networks
TenXsys -telemetry systems for remote monitoring, NASA
StreamBase -real-time data in government/military, RFID/sensor
networks Thetus - software for remote sensing
instruments Soflinx defender -a Wireless Sensor
Network for fences PlateScan -automatic license plate
recognition sensor network Data centers
Bay Microsystems - packet processing and data traffic
Cleversafe - data storage clouds and massive digital archives
Cloudera - data storage and analysis Asankya - Hypermesh data streams
CopperEye - data retention Systems Research and Development -
real-time data warehousing Network Appliance - Decru
Security testing RedSeal Systems - security testing
Network Chemistry - RFprotect, WiFi security
Veracode - application security testing Other related personnel
Numerous noteworthy business and intelligence community professionals
have been involved with In-Q-Tel at various times, including the following:
Dan Geer Chief Information Security Officer
Michael D. Griffin – former President; later Administrator of NASA.
Norman R. Augustine Gilman Louie
Amit Yoran John Seely Brown
Stephen Friedman Paul McMahon
William Perry Alex J. Mandl
Craig Goss Rob Painter – former Director for
Technology Assessment; left to become Senior Federal Sales Manager at Google.
Christopher K. Tucker, first chief strategic officer
References External links
Official website Fact sheet from the company's website
White Paper on the In-Q-Tel concept from the CIA's website
In-Q-Tel from Federal Computer Week In-Q-Tel from govexec.com
The Report of the Independent Panel on the CIA In-Q-Tel Venture from Business
Executives for National Security Press releases