Travis Metz

Mr. Metz joined the Defense Innovation Unit as Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer in March 2026.

He joined the Office of the Secretary of War in June 2025, where he primarily focused on the Drone Dominance Program.

Prior to working in the Department of War, Mr. Metz founded and managed timberlineDS, an AI consulting firm doing work for both private industry and government clients. Prior to that, Mr. Metz had a twenty-five year career investing and managing private equity and venture capital funds. He has sat on numerous private and non-profit boards over the years. He has a Masters Degree in Data Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelors Degree in Economics from Harvard College.