Dan Patt

Advisory Board Member

Additional Title(s)

CEO—Vecna Robotics
Senior Fellow—Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Biography

Dr. Daniel Patt is an accomplished technical executive and strategic thinker. As an aerospace engineer, he supported development of unmanned systems, including the A160 Hummingbird, and at DARPA led the development of attritable unmanned vehicles, and launched development of certifiable reduced crew transport aircraft operations.  

As an entrepreneur, he was co-founder of Vecna Robotics, and is now Chief Strategy Officer at STR. In these roles, he guides companies through high growth rates while operationalizing emerging technologies.  

He is a fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, and also a fellow at the Hudson Institute. He is an executive advisor to THL Partners’ automation fund, which invests in technology-enabled businesses. 

Dr. Patt was previously at DARPA as Deputy Director for the Strategic Technology Office, managing more than $400 million in annual technology investments in networking, robotics, and artificial intelligence. He supported the 2018 National Defense Strategy. He has previously worked for the Boeing Company and Karem Aircraft. 

Dr. Patt holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering and is a University of Michigan Department of Aerospace Engineering Distinguished Alumni. He was a Technology Council CEO of the year honoree for emerging technology companies, is a Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Honoree, and is the recipient of the Office of Secretary of Defense Achievement Award in recognition of his work fielding situational awareness systems in support of national security.