# John Tenet

> John Tenet is the co-founder and CEO of CHAOS Industries, a Los Angeles defense technology company he started in 2022 that reached a $4.5 billion valuation in three years on the strength of its Coherent Distributed Networks - a synchronization-based platform that spots airborne threats like drones and missiles roughly ten minutes faster than legacy radar. A former finance and venture operator at Allen & Company, Valar Ventures and 8VC, and a co-founder of counter-drone pioneer Epirus, Tenet has raised over $1 billion for CHAOS and recruited his father, former CIA Director George J. Tenet, as executive chairman.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at CHAOS Industries
- **Organizations:** CHAOS Industries, Epirus, 8VC, Valar Ventures, Allen & Company, Zephyr AI
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Government, Georgetown University
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads CHAOS Industries, valued at $4.5 billion within about three years of founding, Raised over $1 billion in total funding across four rounds for CHAOS, Co-founded Epirus, a pioneer in high-power microwave counter-drone systems

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Earns B.A. in Government from Georgetown University
- **2010-2015** — Associate at Allen & Company LLC
- **2015-2017** — Principal at Valar Ventures
- **2017-2020** — Partner at 8VC (later senior advisor)
- **2018** — Co-founds Epirus, a counter-drone high-power microwave defense startup
- **2022** — Co-founds CHAOS Industries and becomes CEO
- **2024** — Co-leads $145M Series B led by Accel
- **2025** — Co-leads $275M Series C at ~$2B valuation; George J. Tenet named executive chairman
- **2025** — Raises $510M Series D led by Valor Equity Partners at $4.5B valuation

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads CHAOS Industries, valued at $4.5 billion within about three years of founding
- Raised over $1 billion in total funding across four rounds for CHAOS
- Co-founded Epirus, a pioneer in high-power microwave counter-drone systems
- Brought Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN) technology to market, detecting airborne threats roughly 10 minutes faster than traditional radar
- Recruited former CIA Director George J. Tenet as executive chairman and former Congressman Will Hurd as chief strategy officer

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — CHAOS Industries closed a $510M Series D led by Valor Equity Partners at a $4.5B valuation, crossing $1B raised.
- **2025-04** — George J. Tenet appointed executive chairman of CHAOS Industries.

## Links

- Website: https://chaosinc.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/john-t-561b16107
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ChaosDefense

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-tenet
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-01