August 18, 2025

014: John Clark & Chris Moran – Lockheed Martin: Innovation with Purpose

53 minutes

John Clark is Senior Vice President of Technology and Strategic Innovation at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, the legendary advanced development program behind the U-2, SR-71, F-117, and F-35. Over his 27-year career, including 25 inside Skunk Works, he has led some of the most important innovations in aerospace and defense. Chris Moran is Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, the corporate venture arm investing in breakthrough startups across AI, autonomy, advanced manufacturing, power, and propulsion to bring critical technologies into Lockheed’s programs.

In this episode of Defense Tech Underground, we sit down with John and Chris to explore how a century-old prime contractor sustains a culture of innovation while working alongside a new generation of defense tech startups. We cover:

Skunk Works culture and the 14 rules – why they still matter today, and how Clark applied them in leading programs from the F-22 to modern autonomy efforts.

Innovation with purpose – Lockheed’s philosophy of tying new technology directly to warfighter needs, from AI-tuned radar to layered defense systems.

Lockheed Ventures – Moran’s view on “gaps and hedges,” the fund’s 90+ portfolio companies, and how primes and startups can create one-plus-one-equals-three outcomes.

AI and open architectures – where generative AI, advanced autonomy, and spectrum convergence are reshaping design, manufacturing, and operations.

The prime paradox – responding to critics who call primes slow and risk-averse, and why, in Clark’s words, “don’t believe the hype—innovation happens every day inside Lockheed.”

This conversation highlights how the largest defense contractor in the world is leaning into venture capital, software-hardware convergence, and cultural lessons from Skunk Works to keep pace with evolving threats while partnering with startups.

This episode is hosted by Josh Pickering and Andrew Couillard.

Full Bios:

John Clark

John Clark is Senior Vice President, Technology and Strategic Innovation at Lockheed Martin, where he leads enterprise technology strategy and investment, including companywide digital and AI initiatives. He moved into the role after serving as Vice President and General Manager of Skunk Works from 2022 to early 2025. Earlier, Clark was Vice President of Engineering and Technology for Aeronautics and previously Vice President for ISR and Unmanned Systems at Skunk Works, roles that spanned portfolio leadership, systems integration, and multi-domain operations.

Chris Moran

Chris Moran is Executive Director and General Manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, the company’s venture capital arm. He joined in 2016 after three decades in Silicon Valley, including senior executive roles at Applied Materials and eight years running Applied Ventures. He holds BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from MIT. Moran’s team invests across priority areas aligned with Lockheed Martin’s strategy. The fund size was doubled to $400M in 2022, and LM Ventures partners closely with internal engineering groups on adoption. He also engages with Stanford’s Hacking for Defense program.

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