Matt Shortal

Mr. Shortal joined the Defense Innovation Unit as the Primary Deputy Director and Chief Commercial Officer in March 2026. Previously, Mr. Shortal worked as an Operating Partner and Chief of Staff at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a leading Venture Capital firm.

Mr. Shortal started his career as an F/A-18 fighter pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps. He flew out of Miramar and deployed multiple times to locations in the Far East and Middle East for combat operations. He is a graduate of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) and a former U.S. Navy Blue Angels pilot. Post-military, Mr. Shortal worked as a Director at Janus Henderson Investors and a Managing Director at Makena Capital Management.

Mr. Shortal graduated from the University of Illinois and attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business.