Former DIU lead Mike Madsen joins strategic intelligence firm Strider
Former Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) leader Mike Madsen is joining strategic intelligence firm Strider Technologies, Inc.’s team as vice president of national security solutions, DefenseScoop has learned.
In his first role since departing DIU as acting director in June, Madsen will oversee the global public sector client portfolio at Strider, a company that develops technologies to pinpoint and respond to state-sponsored intellectual property theft and supply chain vulnerabilities.
Madsen is a decorated Air Force combat pilot who joined the military in 1994 and eventually led missions in Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, New Dawn, and Odyssey Dawn. He went on to work as a senior Air Force adviser and legislative liaison.
From 2018 to 2022 Madsen served as DIU’s deputy director for strategic engagement. He was then tapped to fill in as acting director of the military’s technology incubator when former DIU chief Mike Brown opted to exit. Notably, Brown joined Strider’s board of directors shortly after stepping away from DIU.
“Strider’s game-changing strategic intelligence solutions enable public sector agencies to identify and mitigate state-sponsored threats against their nation’s talent base, corporations, and research institutions,” Madsen said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.
