Two individuals appointed to a key Pentagon advisory body by US defense secretary Pete Hegseth have connections to a venture capital fund that includes Donald Trump Jr as a partner. The fund holds investments in military and space technology companies.
Marc Andreessen, an appointee to the Defense Policy Board (DPB), is associated with Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Andreessen Horowitz co-invests with 1789 Capital, the partnership linked to Donald Trump Jr, in three defense contractors. Fellow DPB appointee Blake Masters also serves on the boards of three ventures connected to 1789 Capital.
Both Andreessen and Masters now advise the Pentagon on the defense-technology sector, which includes the companies they are tied to through these investments. Companies jointly supported by a16z and 1789 Capital have reportedly drawn billions in federal loans and contracts since the beginning of the second Trump administration.
Scott Amey, general counsel at the Project on Government Oversight, stated that advisory committees often have conflicts of interest, with appointees potentially seeking government business or trying to influence contracts for their employers or clients.