Joanne O’Gorman & Laura Klebanow
At Show & Tell, we have a soft spot for sharp women and sharper ideas. So when Dr. Karen Hathaway Viani, Chief Innovation Officer at The Catalyst Coalition, moderated a fireside-style panel with Brinda Jadeja (Senior Partner, In-Q-Tel) and Meg Vorland (Founder & CRO, Dcode Capital), we expected insight.
We had a masterclass.
This wasn’t just a discussion about venture capital. It was about building new bridges between innovation and impact—between founders and federal markets—and how women at the intersection of capital, technology, and national security are doing more than investing.
They’re redesigning the entire playbook.
Here’s what we’re still talking about.
1. Strategic Capital Is About Alignment—Not Just Upside
Both Brinda and Meg made it clear:
You can’t just build something “cool.” It has to matter.
Brinda, a seasoned technology investor from In-Q-Tel, described her lens through a simple but powerful mental model:
- Financial upside.
- Mission alignment.
- Where they intersect? That’s where she invests.
“If the company doesn’t survive, there’s no impact. And if there’s no strategic relevance, there’s no reason to pursue it.”
— Brinda Jadeja
Meg—whose firm Dcode Capital works with startups tackling government sales from the ground up—spoke about building an entire advisory ecosystem that sets companies up for both impact and durability.
They’re not interested in shiny objects. They’re looking for tech that solves real problems and can get adopted at scale by mission-driven agencies.
2. The Government Market Isn’t Optional. It’s the New Growth Story.
Years ago, startups had to be convinced to even consider the federal market. Today?
“They’re coming to us. Not for capital. For access.”
— Brinda Jadeja
“It used to be a hard sell. Now it’s a stamp of legitimacy.”
— Meg Vorland
Both panelists noted a seismic shift: founders no longer view government as a Plan B or slow-moving bureaucracy. It’s now a strategic proving ground and increasingly a bridge to commercial success.
Dcode and In-Q-Tel both help translate mission needs into product pivots, roadmap decisions, and relationship building. And that work is paying off. Because when you can sell to the most complex, highly regulated customer on the planet? You can sell to anyone.
3. Impact Means Adoption. Period.
For some investors, “impact” lives in ESG metrics and DEI dashboards. For Brinda and Meg?
Impact = a warfighter using your tech in the field.
Or a mission analyst solving a problem faster because your product works better.
In other words:
- No pilots? No impact.
- No field deployment? No story.
- No problem solved? No return.
Both panelists emphasized that usability especially for nontechnical end users is still a major gap. “A beautiful dashboard full of code isn’t usable,” Brinda noted. “You have to meet users where they are.”
4. If You’re Not Invited to the Table, Build Your Own
Dr. Viani, in true Show & Tell spirit, shifted the conversation to the personal:
What does it mean to be a woman in venture, tech, and national security?
Meg answered without flinching:
“You’re going to miss the golf tournaments. You’re not getting invited to the cigar bar. So what? Show up anyway. Or build your own damn table.”
Brinda added that she never golfed, never smoked cigars and never waited for permission. Instead, she created her own spaces: organizing dinners, building long-term networks, and finding her own way in.
It was a raw, real reminder that some of the most powerful moves are made outside the traditional rooms and that power is often built one intentional connection at a time.
5. What’s Coming Next? Tech That Translates. Founders Who Listen. Policy That Doesn’t Lag.
In response to Dr. Viani’s closing question on emerging trends, both Brinda and Meg agreed:
- The tech itself is exciting but expected.
- What’s truly needed is usability, smart procurement, and systems that can keep pace.
Generative AI may be buzzy, but if it can’t integrate into a government workflow or be explained to a nontechnical leader? It’s a no.
And the biggest white space they see? Policy. Procurement. Pathways.
“We’ve got companies standing ready to solve massive problems. But government buyers are still trying to figure out how to access them.”
— Meg Vorland
Final Takeaways (from three women who don’t play small):
- Be a sponge. You don’t need to start with all the credentials just curiosity.
- Build a network that doesn’t exist yet. Especially if you don’t fit the mold.
- Stay aligned with the mission. If it’s not solving a real-world problem, why are you doing it?
This panel reminded us why Show & Tell exists in the first place:
To shape the stories that move markets and elevate the voices building what’s next.
#NarrativeDesign #WomenInVenture #GovTech #InnovationWithPurpose #MissionDrivenCapital #ShowAndTell #FoundersAndFunders #CapitalAndCourage #TechWithTeeth