Adam Hammer is a nonresident fellow at the Forward Defense program of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He is also the cofounder and chief executive officer of Roadrunner Venture Studios. He brings experience building, scaling, and investing in disruptive companies at all stages. He most recently served as chief operating officer at Qrypt, a post-quantum encryption and quantum hardware company. There, he oversaw all product management and strategy for the organization. 

Previously, Hammer served as managing director and head of strategy at Schmidt Futures, a venture facility for public benefit started by former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt, where Hammer oversaw evaluation, design, and development of the Schmidt portfolio. He also led Schmidt Futures’ geopolitical initiatives, including directing the International Strategy Forum, a program that identifies and invests in emerging national security leaders and ideas.

Prior to his work with Schmidt, Hammer worked at Goldman Sachs where he advised energy and industrial companies on acquisitions and asset-linked structuring. Prior to his tenure at Goldman, Hammer spent fifteen years abroad, living in Libya, Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, China, and Singapore.

Hammer is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Yale University. Hammer and his wife Hannah currently reside in Washington, DC, where he serves as an intel officer in the Navy Reserves. Hammer currently is an executive counselor to Schmidt Futures, an advisor at America’s Frontier Fund, and an advisor to the Software in Defense Coalition.