Katherine Boyle is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), where she leads the American Dynamism practice - a $1.1B+ fund focused on startups that serve the national interest. A former Washington Post journalist turned VC, she champions defense tech, manufacturing, aerospace, and critical infrastructure companies. She sits on the boards of Anduril Industries and The Free Press, and is widely regarded as one of tech's most important bridges between Silicon Valley and Washington.
Wardstone is a Y Combinator F25 defense startup building a global constellation of satellites equipped with space-based interceptors to kinetically destroy hypersonic and ballistic missiles. Founded by brothers Sebastian and Tobias Fischer, the company is pursuing America's Golden Dome initiative - a layered missile defense system that can engage threats in space before they reach US soil. With a $5M seed round and three successful automated intercept demonstrations during YC, Wardstone is positioning itself as a next-generation missile defense contractor targeting a $40B/year market.