Team

The team.

Operators, technologists, and investors who have spent careers at the intersection of national security and deep technology.

Partners

Aleksander Rūta

Aleksander Rūta

Founding Partner

Former Special Operations officer and defense technology investor. Aleksander spent a decade in the field before moving to the investment side, where he has backed more than twenty companies at the intersection of defense and deep technology. He leads Tiltas's investments in autonomous systems and dual-use AI.

Focus

Autonomous SystemsDual-Use AI

Background

U.S. Army Special ForcesIn-Q-TelAndreessen Horowitz
Mara Lindqvist

Mara Lindqvist

Partner

Former defense program manager and systems engineer. Mara spent fifteen years at DARPA and the Defense Innovation Unit before joining Tiltas. She has a rare combination of technical depth and procurement expertise that makes her uniquely valuable to founders navigating the government contracting landscape.

Focus

Critical InfrastructureSpace & Sensing

Background

DARPADefense Innovation UnitMIT Lincoln Laboratory
Jonas Eriksen

Jonas Eriksen

Partner

Serial entrepreneur and technologist. Jonas founded and sold two defense technology companies before moving to the investment side. He brings a founder's perspective to every investment and leads Tiltas's work with pre-seed and seed-stage companies.

Focus

Defense TechCritical Infrastructure

Background

Founder, Sentinel Systems (acq. Palantir)Founder, Vanguard AI (acq. Anduril)MIT

Advisors

Gen. (Ret.) David Harmon

Senior Advisor

Former Commander, U.S. Cyber Command

Dr. Sarah Chen

Technical Advisor

Former Chief Scientist, DARPA

Admiral (Ret.) James Kowalski

Senior Advisor

Former Commander, U.S. Strategic Command

Dr. Elena Vasquez

Technical Advisor

Professor of Robotics, Carnegie Mellon University