Christopher Aw is a nonresident senior fellow in the N7 Initiative within the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. He is a partner at Argonautic Ventures and an advisor to multiple family offices. He focuses on private investment, structuring, and partnerships. He also continues to consult for other venture capital firms and conglomerates in multiple areas of technology and investments.

Aw served in the United States Air Force in the technology and intelligence fields both operationally and in research and development. He has worked at MITRE, supporting the US undersecretary of defense for intelligence in an investment vehicle evaluating technology investments across multiple disciplines. After his time at MITRE, he founded his own companies, including two3six, a technology focused consultancy specializing in cybersecurity, analytics, and big data challenges.

Aw sits on three nonprofit boards: Operation Snow Leopard, which supports the evacuation of Afghan refugees; Veterans in Media and Entertainment, which supports military veterans in the film and entertainment industries; and Family Hippocampus, which aims to build harmony in generational family businesses.

Aw volunteers for the Unreasonable Group, an accelerator focused on environmental impact startups. He has also volunteered to support the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, which supports women entrepreneurs, as well as the Moonshot Awards, a grant program for impact entrepreneurs.

As a fourth-generation family business member, Aw is a frequent speaker at family office conferences globally, where he discusses topics including investments, wealth preservation, philanthropy, legacy planning, and family succession.

Aw holds a BA in business (information systems) from the University of Washington, an MS in information systems from Bowie State University, and an MBA from the University of Maryland. Aw also completed a public policy program at Harvard University, an asset management program at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton Business School, and a public leadership program at the University of San Francisco.