Not-for-Profit Serves as Strategic Investor to Bridge Government Capability Gaps
ORLANDO —IQT (In-Q-Tel), the independent strategic investor focused on accelerating national security innovation, was featured in a HUB session at AIAA SciTech Forum 2026 in January.
Founded in 1999, IQT serves as an independent, not-for-profit strategic investor that bridges the gap between government needs and rapidly advancing private-sector innovations. Over the past 25 years, IQT has invested in more than 800 startups across the globe, helping fuel the commercial space industry.
Jenny Irvine, vice president of Technology at IQT, describes the organization as “the trusted bridge between venture capital, government, and the startup community.”
IQT’s mission is to identify, evaluate, and leverage emerging commercial technologies in support of the national security mission, empowering their partners to advance capabilities and stay ahead of rapidly evolving threats. “We have a very flexible model for our investments; we often co-invest with other venture companies.”
Irvine said that IQT reviews nearly 1,000 companies, narrowing it down to around 80 investments annually. To date, the company has completed 800+ investments in more than 20 countries outside the United States. In the United States, IQT has collaborated with more than 15 government agencies – including the intelligence community and the U.S. Space Force.
IQT began investing in space technology in 2008. Today, IQT’s space technology portfolio encompasses over 60 companies in areas such as remote sensing satellites, launch vehicles, communications systems, satellite servicing, mission operations software, and modular satellite components.
“We help empower our partners to advance their capabilities, safeguard their missions, and stay ahead of emerging threats,” said Irvine, adding, “One of the key ways we measure success at IQT is by how much the government uses the technology that we are investing in.”
The company measures success through pilots, where partners test or evaluate the technology, and through evaluating adoption rates. “We have about a 70% pilot rate and about a 50% adoption rate, which is very, very high for this early stage of technology,” she noted.
Irvine shared two successes from IQT’s space and defense portfolio. The first company, Sydney-based HEO Robotics, is Australia’s first commercial non-Earth imaging provider. IQT invested in HEO in 2017, helping to introduce its non-Earth imaging capability to U.S. government partners. Since then, the technology has helped detect anomalous activity and support space domain awareness.
Another startup, ANELLO Photonics, based in Santa Ana, Calif., specializes in silicon photonics optical gyroscopes (SiPhOGs) for high-precision navigation. The firm develops miniaturized fiber optic gyroscopes, replacing traditional technology with a silicon chip, which supports operations “the size of a coin.” IQT integrated ANELLO’s chips into uncrewed vehicles and helped evaluate their performance in GPS-denied environments for government partners.
“If you’re a startup or an innovator…looking to bring new technology to the government space, we want to work with you.”
