NNV 2026 Boston Innovation Summit Recap
Dual-Use Innovation at the Intersection of Capital, Security, and Technology
Hosted by New North Ventures | Boston, MA | February 5th, 2026
Last week, New North Ventures convened 300 investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, academics, and government leaders for the 2026 Boston Innovation Summit. The gathering reflected a growing recognition that national security, economic competitiveness, and technological leadership are now inseparable and innovation increasingly happens at the seams between public and private sectors.
The Summit focused on dual-use technologies and systems-level challenges shaping the next decade: economic warfare and geofinance, maritime autonomy, cyber trust and disruption, and the pathways required to take frontier technologies from seed-stage ideas to scaled, mission-critical capabilities. Across fireside conversations, panels, and a startup showcase, one theme was consistent: the strategic environment has changed faster than our institutions, and capital, founders, and governments are being pulled onto the front lines whether they intend to be or not.
Fireside Chat: Michael Morell and Bryan Mabry
The day opened with a fireside conversation between former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell and Bryan Mabry, Partner at New North Ventures, setting the strategic tone for the Summit. Their discussion underscored how geopolitical competition is no longer defined solely by military strength, but by data, financial systems, technology platforms, and private-sector decision-making.
Morell emphasized that today’s intelligence and security challenges increasingly depend on capabilities developed outside government. Mabry reinforced that innovation velocity, not just scale, has become decisive. Together, they framed the core question that echoed throughout the day: how can democratic societies align capital, innovation, and policy quickly enough to compete in a world of persistent, sub-threshold conflict?
Panel: Economic Warfare & Geofinance
Moderator: Jason Wright (Steptoe LLP)
Panelists: Regina Abrami (UPenn), Matt Flug (Irregular Warfare Initiative), Eric Paley (MA Secretary of Economic Development)
This panel explored how economic power has become a primary domain of competition. Jason Wright opened by distinguishing economic warfare, the active use of tools like sanctions, export controls, and investment restrictions from geofinance, the underlying financial infrastructure and capital flows that shape outcomes long before a crisis is declared.
Matt Flug discussed sanctions and export controls as tools of irregular warfare, arguing that venture-backed companies operating in dual-use and national security-adjacent sectors must assume regulatory and national security obligations far earlier than founders historically have. Governance, compliance, and resilience are no longer optional — they are strategic design choices.
Professor Regina Abrami examined how allies and adversaries have adapted to U.S. trade and sanctions regimes. She highlighted that some adversaries have become more sophisticated in working around constraints, while allies increasingly feel strain from unilateral or poorly coordinated policies. For investors, her message was clear: geopolitical adaptation is now a core diligence factor.
Eric Paley brought the conversation home to Massachusetts, outlining how state-level economic development can serve as a resilience strategy. He pointed to initiatives like SHIELD and regional microelectronics coalitions as examples of how public-private partnerships can harden critical supply chains while accelerating innovation. The panel closed with a provocative question: if we are already in a financial conflict, what does “winning” actually look like and are we making dangerous assumptions about the durability of U.S. financial power?
Panel: AI on the High Seas — How Automation is Shaping Maritime Tech
Moderator: Kelley DeConciliis (VTG)
Panelists: Fred Pasquine (Fairlead), Zach Lyman (In-Q-Tel), Joe Turner (Havoc AI)
This panel examined maritime autonomy as both a commercial opportunity and a strategic necessity. Speakers highlighted how AI-driven systems are reshaping sensing, logistics, and operations in contested maritime environments, where scale and speed matter more than exquisite platforms.
The discussion emphasized the need for smaller, more numerous, and more autonomous systems to outpace adversaries, particularly in gray-zone and denied environments. Investors were urged to think beyond traditional defense primes and toward software-defined platforms, dual-use maritime data, and autonomy stacks that can transition between commercial and defense applications.
Startup Showcase
Four early-stage companies presented solutions at the intersection of security, infrastructure, and emerging technology:
Endox — Building AI powered robotics in defense, logistics, and manufacturing to onshore critical industries. Endox was selected as the winner of the Startup Showcase via audience choice.
Headlamp — Veteran workforce talent matching platform.
Optica Labs — AI assurance layer that turns risk into acceleration.
AtlasConnect — Gives VCs and startups investment infrastructure, from intaking to liquidity.
The showcase reinforced that some of the most impactful national security capabilities are being built by small teams operating well outside traditional defense pathways.
Panel: From Seed to Scale — How Investors Fuel Dual-Use Startups
Moderator: Marc Nichols (DLA Piper)
Panelists: Cait Brumme (MassChallenge), Sam Spencer Pitman (Army Applications Lab / Army FUZE)
This panel focused on the capital and institutional pathways required to scale dual-use companies. Speakers highlighted the persistent gap between early technical validation and large-scale government adoption.
Cait Brumme discussed the role of accelerators and innovation hubs in de-risking early-stage companies, while Sam Spencer Pitman provided insight into how programs like Army FUZE help startups navigate defense customers without losing commercial momentum. The takeaway for founders: success requires fluency in both venture and government ecosystems and investors who understand the timeline mismatches between them.
Panel: Cyber Trust and Disruption — How Collaboration Secures Infrastructure
Moderator: Jeremy Hitchcock (New North Ventures)
Panelists: Michael Madon (ABCorp, former U.S. Treasury), Bob Scott (NEUCIC Commissioner), Hans Olson (UMass Lowell)
The closing panel tackled one of the most urgent and unsettled issues in cybersecurity: the shift from passive defense toward active disruption. Panelists discussed how the term “hackback” has evolved into “disruption,” signaling a potential policy shift toward more permissive industry countermeasures.
Michael Madon argued that industry is increasingly forced to act on its own as federal agencies struggle with clearance delays, safe harbor concerns, and institutional inertia. Bob Scott offered a note of caution, emphasizing the risks of untrained actors engaging in disruption and the danger of exposing sensitive capabilities. Hans Olson highlighted the role of agentic AI, noting that as sophisticated cyber responses become push-button simple, the barriers to action and to mistakes are collapsing.
The panel converged on a central tension: when the government cannot move fast enough, industry self-help becomes inevitable, creating both serious risks and major market opportunities, particularly in underserved sectors like water and wastewater utilities.
Looking Ahead
The 2026 Boston Innovation Summit made clear that dual-use innovation is no longer a niche, it is the operating environment. Financial systems, AI, cyber infrastructure, and autonomous platforms are now strategic terrain. Founders, investors, and policymakers must navigate this reality together, with speed, trust, and a shared understanding of risk.
New North Ventures convened the Summit to help build that shared understanding and to accelerate the partnerships required to ensure that innovation remains a source of resilience rather than vulnerability. The conversations in Boston will continue well beyond this room, shaping how capital and technology are deployed in an era of persistent competition.
SAVE THE DATE: 2027 BOSTON INNOVATION SUMMIT — FEBRUARY 4th.