Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Capital Capital: Dual Use

What is Capital Capital: Dual Use?

DC’s premier Dual Use
tech conference

Capital Capital: Dual Use is one of the biggest yearly events for investors, Dual Use technology entrepreneurs, high-growth company execs, advisors, and professional service providers in DC and beyond.
350
Attendees
20+
All-Star speakers
35+
Dual Use showcase companies
Register

Register for
Capital Capital: Dual Use 2025

Price : $399

Regular registration

Ends May 31
Buy now
Price : $599

Last-minute registration 

Ends June 17
Buy now

Our Capital Capital: Dual Use host committee

Emily McMahon

AIN Ventures

Michael Hauser

SAIC Ventures

Derren Burrell

Veteran Ventures

Meg Vorland

Dcode Capital

Josh Weed

Veteran Ventures

Chris George

SAIC Ventures

Steve Ryan

Pillsbury

Kathering Hennessey

NightDragon

Dan Hughes

BGS Consulting

Mike Avon

ABS Capital

Diego Recinos

CIBC

Jennifer Goode

Riveron

Brian Demuth

Riphean Investments

Mourad Yeseyan

Paladin Capital

Tom Weithman

VIPC

Mike Leurdijk

IQT

Michael Stiefvater

Arlington Econ Dev

Troy Stovall

TEDCO

Tim Denning

UltraTech

Rajiv Mehta

BluVentures

Carter Callaway

UltraTech

Mark Spoto

Razor’s Edge

Rebecca Gevalt

Dcode Capital

Ben Solomon

FedTech

Margaret Roth

Squadra VC

Mark Kass

Crowell

Stephanie Belliistri

New North Ventures

Steve Smoot

Lavrock Ventures

Nick Graziano

Blue Heron Capital

Chuck Carr

RSM

Lisa 
Throckmorton

REQ

Steve Kaplan

Pilsbury

Ryan Halpin

RSM

Paige Craig

Outlander VC

Brad McConnell

Fluet

Katie Hanusik

REQ

Matt VanderGoot

Lowenstein Sandler

Rus Higgins

Connor Group

Chris College

TCP Venture Cap

Bill Wooton

C3 Integrated Sols

Vivienne Pham

JP Morgan
Capital Capital: Dual Use Gold Partner
Capital Capital: Dual Use Partners
Capital Capital: Dual Use Venture Partners
Agenda
9:00AM to 10:00AM
11:00AM to 2:00PM
2:00PM to 6:00PM

Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Crystal & Clark

9:00am - Registration

Breakfast & Networking

‍

9:50am - Welcome 

Doug Anderson, Founder, DCA Live

‍

10:00am - Keynote Fireside 

Justin Fanelli, CTO, US Navy 

Moderator: Jonathan Aberman, Founder, Hupside

‍

10:40am - Investing in Dual Use: What Are VCs Looking For?

Steve Smoot, Partner, Lavrock

Emily McMahan, Partner, AIN Ventures

Nat Puffer, Investor, IQT

Tim Denning, Partner, Ultratech

Moderator: Mark Bass, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

‍

Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Crystal & Clark

11:20am Solving Big Problems: Dual Use Founders
SECURITY: Cory Siskind, CEO, Base Operations
ENERGY: Amit Singh, CEO, NearStar Fusion
AI: Darren Kimura, CEO, AI Squared
SPACE: Sascha Deri, CEO, bluShift Aerospace
DEFENSE: Brian O’Connor, CEO, Darksaber Labs
Moderator: Steve Ryan, Partner, Pillsbury

‍

12:10pm Networking Lunch and Showcase

‍

1:00pm     Afternoon Keynote: Dual-Use Wizardry
Jay Meil, Chief Data Scientist, SAIC
Moderator: Russ Higgins, Partner, Connor Group

‍
1:40pm Private Capital and the Public Mission Blaise Zandoli, Portfolio Manager, AI/ML, US Army 
Tom Weithman, Chief Investment Officer, VIPC
Derren Burrell, Partner, Veteran Ventures
Moderator: Brad McConnell, Partner, Fluet

‍

Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Crystal & Clark

2:20pm Lightning Pitches
Obviant
Lola Vision Systems
Mantis Analytics
Magma Space
Spectrohm
Torev Motors

‍

3:30pm CapCap Bash

‍

5:30pm Adjourn

Capital Capital: Dual Use
keynote speaker

Justin Fanelli

CTO, US Navy

Capital Capital: Dual Use
All-Star speakers

Emily McMahon

AIN Ventures

Jonathan Aberman

Founder, Upside

Jay Meil

Chief Data Scientist, SAIC

 Nat Puffer

Deep Tech Investor, IQT

Steve Ryan

Pillsbury

Tom Weithman

VIPC

Vivienne Pham

JP Morgan

Mark Bass

Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Blaise Zandoli

Portfolio Manager, US Army

Rus Higgins

Connor Group

Steve Smoot

Lavrock Ventures

Margaret Roth

Squadra VC

Amit Singh

CEO, NearStar Fusion

Darren Kimura

CEO, AI Squared

Cory Siskind

CEO, Base Operations

Brian O’Connor

CEO, Darksaber Labs

Maksym 
Tereshchenko

CEO, Mantis Analysitcs

Tim Denning

UltraTech

Chawn Usman

CEO, Rhea Space

Brendan karp

 Founder, Obviant

2025 Capital Capital: Dual
Use showcase companies

Base Operations
AI Squared
BTI360 Labs
Circle Optics, INc.
InnerActiv Inc.
Knox
FibrX Inc.
Hupside
Magma Space
Rackner
Rhea Space Activity
SoftShox
TRAXyL
Blockring
Darksaber Labs
Hoplynk
Hushmesh
Mantis Analytics
Obviant
Torev Motors
NearStar Fusion
Arms Cyber
Ensemble Space Labs
Lola Vision Systems
Ratio Exchange
Spectrohm
Hupside
MetaCTF
bluShift Aerospace
Hardshell
Optica Labs

Become a Capital Capital Dual Use partner

Want to sponsor Capital Capital: Dual Use? Reach out to our team.
Testimonials

Why our attendees love DCA Live

"Shoutout to DCA Live! DCA Live brings all functions from finance to legal to HR, accounting, banking, VCs, and real estate together in the DMV community."
Mahsa Dornajafi
CFO, Zephyr AI
"One of those key connections was meeting DCA Live. Their virtual round tables exposed me to a group of wickedly smart, local marketers going through a largely shared experience. Thanks DCA Live for including me and for the incredible community you've created!"
Tara Clever
CMO, MarginEdge
"DCA Live consistently manages to convene fascinating groups of individuals. I always enjoy the DCA Live events."
Sean Griffey
Founder, Industry Drive
"What a fantastic program with exceptional people. Proud to be a partner of DCA Live!"
Hector Velez
Founder, Vector Talent
"DCA Live AI Stars was polished, thoughtful, and full of meaningful conversations. DCA Live always brings together the right mix of people - effortless, as always."
Yasmine Sebbti
KForce
"I thoroughly enjoyed the CapitalCapital Conference yesterday. The panels were great. Speed networking was a superior idea, well executed, the food was good, and the afterparty hit all the right notes."
Peter Buchanan
Managing Partner, NewPlan, LLC
"Thank you for putting together an excellent event! It was great to meet the local DC tech community."
Mohammed Iqbal
Founder, Sweatworks
"Thank you for putting together an excellent event! It was great to meet the local DC tech community."
Alan Langelli
Partner, Aprio

Frequently asked questions

What is DCA Live?

For over 14 years, DCA Live has been bringing professional service decision-makers together through business networking events designed to help people build relationships and connect naturally. 

Where is DCA Live located?

Founded in Washington D.C., DCA Live hosts professional networking events for Finance, Tech, Real Estate, Government, and Private Equity leaders nationwide in cities like D.C., New York, Atlanta, South Florida, Philadelphia, and more. 

What kind of events does DCA Live host?

DCA Live produces creative and engaging programs that convene leaders across sectors, from Finance to Tech to Real Estate to Associations, and more. We host larger public events for community networking as well as intimate, invite-only Roundtable discussions. We’re rolling out new events all the time, so subscribe to our Newsletter to stay in the loop.