Marque Ventures to Advise Duke’s Design Defense Studio
San Francisco/Washington/Atlanta, May 15th, 2025 — Marque Ventures will join the Connections Advisory Board for Duke University’s Design Defense Studio, a 10-week graduate-level program training active-duty and reserve service members to turn national security challenges into business opportunities - the Design Defense Studio program is part of the the Master of Engineering Management Program at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering.
Marque team members Tip Myers and Travis Ledwith will represent the firm on the advisory board, alongside leaders from SOCOM, ARCWERX, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), and the National Western Military Academic Command (NW MAC). Their role will focus on guiding active-duty and reserve military participants as they tackle high-priority Department of Defense (DoD) challenges.
“Travis and I are honored to join the Design Defense Studio advisory board,” said Tip Myers, Partner at Marque Ventures. “This program is a rare blend of hands-on learning and operational relevance. We’re excited to help these teams shape viable, fundable solutions with real pathways to deployment.”
The Design Defense Studio, led by Robb and Kate Olsen, is a rigorous nine-week program where small teams of current servicemembers apply proven innovation methodologies to solve mission-critical problems. Topics for Cohort 2 include counter-UAS, electronic warfare, crisis and emergency management, and tactical applications of small modular reactors. The program emphasizes real-world experimentation and culminates in solutions ready for transition or further development.
“University partnerships like this one with Duke are essential to the defense innovation ecosystem,” said Travis Ledwith, Partner at Marque Ventures. “They serve as catalytic environments where military operators and technologists can experiment, iterate, and move ideas toward impact.”
Marque Ventures is committed to strengthening the U.S. and allied defense industrial base by investing in early-stage dual-use technology and developing the next generation of national security innovators. In addition to this academic collaboration, Marque operates the Marque Fellowship, a hands-on program that embeds service members and veterans into the venture ecosystem. Together, these efforts reflect our belief that building enduring national security capabilities requires both capital and human capital—united by mission, driven by urgency.
About Marque Ventures
Marque Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in emerging critical defense technology for U.S., NATO, and Allies.