Nadia Schadlow Joins Marlinspike Partners as Strategic Advisor

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Marlinspike Partners today announced that Dr. Nadia Schadlow, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute has joined the firm as a senior advisor.

Dr. Schadlow's research sits at the intersection of strategy, national security, and technology. She focuses on U.S. supply chain vulnerabilities in areas such as advanced batteries and energetic materials, the links between climate and defense policy, and the gaps between stated strategy and operational practice. Her writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The Hill, Parameters, the Wall Street Journal, and Philanthropy, as well as in several edited volumes. She previously served as U.S. deputy national security advisor for strategy, where she led the drafting and release of the 2017 National Security Strategy. Earlier in her career, she was a senior program officer for international security and foreign policy at the Smith Richardson Foundation and served in the Department of Defense.

Her appointment reinforces Marlinspike's thesis-driven approach to investing in the technologies reshaping the physical economy, spanning AI-enabled design, advanced manufacturing, and autonomy-enabled operations.

"We are building Marlinspike around a clear view of where the world is going: from a human-centric to an autonomy-centric economy," said Mislav Tolusic, Managing Partner at Marlinspike. "Nadia has spent her career on the problem most investors overlook, which is the distance between a strategy on paper and a capability in the field. That is exactly the gap our portfolio companies are built to close."

Dr. Schadlow will advise the firm on investment diligence, portfolio support, and strategic engagement with government stakeholders, helping portfolio companies navigate complex procurement environments and accelerate adoption pathways.

"Marlinspike is one of the few firms taking a truly systems-level view of the convergence of robotics, advanced manufacturing, and autonomy," said Dr. Schadlow. "American industrial capacity is now a national security question in its own right, from energetic materials and advanced batteries to the machines that build them. Marlinspike's focus on integrating design, build, and operate capabilities aligns closely with where I believe the future of national security and industrial competitiveness is headed, and I'm glad to contribute to that mission."

Neil Keegan, CEO of Marlinspike, added: "Nadia understands both how national strategy gets written and where it breaks down in execution. For founders building the next generation of defense and industrial companies, that judgment is a force multiplier."

Marlinspike invests in companies operating at the intersection of national security and next generation industrials, with a focus on enabling the transition to an autonomy-driven world. The firm partners with founders building critical capabilities across AI-enabled engineering, advanced manufacturing, and autonomous systems.

About Marlinspike

Marlinspike was founded in 2022 to advance America's technological advantages. The firm has invested in some of the most iconic companies including Anduril, Armada, Palantir, Bright AI, and others. Marlinspike is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

For full biographies and photographs, please visit Marlinspike's website at https://marlinspike.us.

SOURCE Marlinspike