Michael Brown is a partner at the dual-use venture capital firm, Shield Capital, having joined in 2022. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute for Security and Technology and an advisor to the U.S. Navy’s Science and Technology Board. Michael previously served four years (2018-2022) as the Director of the Defense Innovation Unit at the U.S. Department of Defense.During his tenure, DIU introduced 100 new vendors to DoD, fielded 50 new capabilities to the military, and increased the transition rate of fielded capabilities to 50%. He also led the initiative for a new Defense Department-sponsored investment vehicle, National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) to fund dual-use hardware technology companies. At the end of his tenure, the Secretary of Defense awarded him the Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in September 2022. From 2016 to 2018, Michael served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow.Michael was the CEO of Symantec Corporation (2014-2016), at the time the global leader in cybersecurity; he is the former Chairman and CEO of Quantum Corporation (1995-2003). He serves on the boards of Strider Intel, Nexla, Code Metal, ReSim, Anetac and Asimily. Michael received his BA degree in economics from Harvard University and his MBA degree from Stanford University.