Chris Moran, Executive Director, General Manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures

Chris Moran serves as the executive director and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, a business unit focused on making strategic investments in companies developing disruptive technologies.

Moran is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Lockheed's venture capital fund, including strategy creation, pipeline development and management, transaction execution and investment tracking and reporting, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Since 2007, Lockheed Martin Ventures has invested more than $100 million in startup companies whose technologies could become foundational in solving customers' challenges.

Lockheed Martin Ventures' areas of interest include autonomous systems and robotics, cybersecurity, space technologies, advanced communications and sensors, undersea technologies, data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, next-generation electronics, advanced materials and manufacturing, and energy and power systems.

Moran has a background in engineering and technology and has nearly 40 years of experience in Silicon Valley. Moran held senior executive roles at Applied Materials, an American chipmaker.

During his time at Applied Materials, Moran was responsible for corporate marketing, strategy, economy, public relations and communications, corporate affairs, venture capital, service information systems, big data, data science, knowledge management and service product development.

Moran also spent eight years in Applied Materials' venture capitalist arm, Applied Ventures, which invests in startups innovating in smartphones, augmented and virtual reality, AI, driverless cars, big data, life sciences, 3D printing, robotics, cleantech and advanced materials.

He earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.