# Andy Markoff

> Andy Markoff is the co-founder and CEO of Smack Technologies, an El Segundo defense startup he calls the first frontier AI lab built for national security. A former Marine Raider who served as an operations officer during the Battle of Mosul and later worked on Palantir's strategy team, Markoff is building AI products - Omega for the command center and Alpha for the edge - aimed at compressing military planning from days into minutes. In March 2026 the company announced $32 million in combined Seed and Series A funding led by Geodesic Capital and Costanoa Ventures, behind a thesis Markoff sums up bluntly: 'Decision Dominance will be the deciding factor in preventing WWIII because it's the only goal achievable before 2027.'

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Smack Technologies Inc.
- **Organizations:** Smack Technologies Inc., Palantir Technologies, Origin Materials, Pallas Performance, 2d Marine Raider Battalion (MARSOC), United States Marine Corps
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Political Science - International Relations, Princeton University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Smack Technologies, positioned as the first frontier AI lab built for national security., Raised $32M in combined Seed and Series A funding (announced March 2026), led by Geodesic Capital and Costanoa Ventures., Secured contracts with the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, including the Joint Fires Network and Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.

## Career timeline

- **2002-2006** — Earns B.A. in Political Science - International Relations from Princeton University.
- **post-2006** — Commissions as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer; becomes a Marine Raider with MARSOC.
- **Battle of Mosul** — Serves as an operations officer during the campaign against ISIS.
- **later** — Joins Palantir Technologies' business operations and strategy team in Palo Alto, working with engineers on product implementation.
- **later** — Holds roles at Origin Materials and Pallas Performance.
- **2026-03** — Co-founds and leads Smack Technologies, announcing $32M in combined Seed and Series A funding.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Smack Technologies, positioned as the first frontier AI lab built for national security.
- Raised $32M in combined Seed and Series A funding (announced March 2026), led by Geodesic Capital and Costanoa Ventures.
- Secured contracts with the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, including the Joint Fires Network and Marine Corps Warfighting Lab.
- Delivered a Marine Corps prototype that compresses operational planning from months to roughly 15 minutes.
- Served as a Marine Raider and operations officer during the Battle of Mosul.
- Spoke on Decision Dominance panels at Harvard Business School and the MIT Sloan Technology & National Security Conference.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Smack Technologies announced $32M in combined Seed and Series A funding to build the first frontier AI lab for national security.
- **2026-04** — Following the Pentagon's removal of Anthropic, Smack reported surging military interest and accelerated its Marine Corps prototype toward production in 2026.

## Links

- Website: https://smacktechnologies.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-markoff-0b096611a

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andy-markoff
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-14