WASHINGTON (April 30, 2025)- “The very first venture capital firm in the U.S. was founded to profit from new technologies developed for use in WWII,” writes Shana R. Marshall. According to experts, there has been a surge of venture capitalists and private equity firms investing in weapons and intelligence technologies.
Startups and large fund firms have begun divisions that combine technology and weapons.
For more context on the matter, please consider Shana R. Marshall, Assistant Research Professor of International Affairs and Associate Director of the Institute for Middle East Studies at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Marshall is an expert on global weapons trade, corruption, and the Middle East political economy.
Marshall has recently written for Responsible Statecraft, How VC is busting the Military Industrial Complex — for its own benefit and highlights the potential threats this much investment can pose by saying, “Weaponizing their financial assets to expand the production of war material will not only divert technological resources away from other critical domestic priorities, but also forge novel devices of warfare that will generate demand for battlefield testing grounds both at home and abroad.”
To speak with Dr. Shana R. Marshall, please contact Media Relations Specialist Shannon Mitchell at shannon [dot] mitchell
gwu [dot] edu (shannon[dot]mitchell[at]gwu[dot]edu).
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