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Join us for a live discussion with corporate development leaders representing organizations at different stages of growth as they share their perspectives on valuations, acquisition priorities and trends shaping M&A across venture-backed aerospace, defense and national security.
Whether you're evaluating long-term strategic options, preparing for future growth or simply looking to better understand the defense tech landscape, you'll gain valuable insights directly from active participants in the market.
Space is limited. Please reply by October 30 if you would like to join.
What you’ll learn
· Key trends influencing defense tech M&A activity
· How buyers evaluate strategic fit and acquisition targets
· Perspectives on valuations across aerospace, defense tech and security
· How acquisition priorities vary across buyer types and growth stages
· Expectations for the 2027 M&A environment
Panelists
· Will Stemberg, Director of Corporate Development, Anduril Industries
· Alison Perez, Ph.D., Director of M&A Strategy and Integration, Corporate Development, Lockheed Martin
· Matt Schrimpf, Head of Finance, Valinor
Moderator
· Kyle McQuighan, Co-Head, Aerospace, Defense & Security, First Citizens Innovation Banking
Disclosures:
All non-FCB named companies presented throughout the webinar, as represented with the various statistical, thoughts, analysis and insights shared, are independent third parties and are not affiliated with First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company. Any predictions are based on subjective assessments and assumptions. Accordingly, any predictions, projections or analysis should not be viewed as factual and should not be relied upon as an accurate prediction of future results.
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Dr. Ali Perez began her career at Lockheed Martin over 10 years ago, holding roles of increasing responsibility across Engineering & Technology, Technology & Strategic Innovation, Lockheed Martin Ventures, and Corporate Development. She is currently serving as the Director of M&A Strategy and Integration focusing on developing opportunities in growth equity investments, partnerships, JVs, and M&A while also leading integration and separation efforts for post-deal acquisitions and divestitures.
Matt is the Head of Finance at Valinor, where he leads corporate finance, capital allocation, M&A, and financial strategy across the company’s portfolio of defense and government technology products.
Prior to Valinor, Matt was a Principal at Roivant Sciences, where he focused on launching new biopharma-focused technology companies through both organic and inorganic pathways. He also led finance and business operations at Joyride Games, a gaming and consumer media company leveraging shared infrastructure and IP to build product ecosystems.
He previously worked in finance and business development at Palantir Technologies and began his career at the Blackstone Group and McKinsey & Company. Matt holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB from Harvard College.
Will leads mergers & acquisitions for the corporate development team at Anduril Industries, a defense products company. He has supported or led close to a dozen acquisitions for Anduril, spanning all of the company's technology areas and warfighting domains. He has also executed several strategic partnership agreements with other defense and technology companies to accelerate Anduril's product development and entry into new markets.
Prior to Anduril, Will worked as a venture capital and private equity investor in software and technology-enabled services companies. Will holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Kyle is Co-Head of the bank’s Aerospace, Defense and Security practice and leads Technology Banking for the Mid-Atlantic region. With deep expertise in national security, cyber, defense and dual-use technologies, Kyle draws on his unique blend of venture capital, banking and experience supporting government contractors to help A&D and energy companies with specialized financing solutions.
Prior to joining the bank, he was a Principal at Anzu Partners, a VC firm focused on deep tech and dual-use spinouts often from government labs, and led business development at Aronson (now Aprio) advising federal contractors and tech companies on the financial, compliance and M&A challenges unique to A&D and the government sector.
