Why In-Q-Tel: Interviews, Careers, & Portfolio

In-Q-Tel Overview

Formerly In-Q-It and Peleus, In-Q-Tel (IQT) is an American non-profit venture capital firm located in Arlington, Virginia.

IQT invests in high-tech companies to help the CIA and other government intelligence agencies up to date with the latest information technology to support United States intelligence capability.

The firm’s primary mission is to identify and provide financial support to companies that develop cutting-edge technologies that serve the national security interests of the United States. IQT focuses on three tech areas: materials sciences, software, and infrastructure.

According to the Washington Post, IQT began as an idea of the former CIA director George Tenet. The congress approved the funding for the firm which was increased in the later years.

In-Q-Tel was founded in 1999 by a former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Norm Augustine, and IQT’s first CEO, Gilman Louie.

In-Q-Tel AUM

Currently, In-Q-Tel does not publicly disclose its Assets Under Management (AUM), as is common practice among some private investment firms.

In-Q-Tel Interview Process & Questions

Firms often make changes in their interview process with each candidate. But you can expect the general mechanics to stay the same such as:

• Interview process typically consists of 4 to 6 rounds
• Initial rounds are under the supervision of junior investment professionals or the HR team, while the later rounds are conducted by more senior staff
• It could take several weeks before the firm select the right candidate (unless it’s “on-cycle” or “on-campus” recruiting)

The interviews at In-Q-Tel will be a combination of fit questions, behavioral questions, and technical / investing questions.

For more interview preparation help, check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Why In-Q-Tel

Interviewers almost always ask “why this firm” to candidates. This question reveals the candidates’ motivation for applying at the firm as well as their familiarity with the firm’s investment focus, strategy, and track record.

If you’ve met employees at the firm, this is a great time to mention them, how they’ve made a really positive impression on you, and what insights you got from them about the firm.

To help you come up with a more relevant and impressive answer, try learning more about the firm. One way you can do that is to listen to interviews with its founders, investors, and employees.

For example, here’s an interview with Clayton Williams, Managing Director of IQT International, part of In-Q-Tel:

More interviews

• Interview with George Hoyem – EVP investments @ In-Q-Tel
• What’s it like to work at In-Q-Tel? Hear from a few of IQT’s Summer 2022 interns

In-Q-Tel Case Study

Interviewees almost always have to perform a case study during interviews. Firms use case studies to evaluate each candidate’s technical knowledge and communication skills which are vital skills in the finance world.

Most case studies at firms like In-Q-Tel involve investment recommendation and financial modeling. However, for junior roles, cold calling case studies are often required as well.

Check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide if you need more help regarding case studies.

In-Q-Tel Salary & Compensation

In-Q-Tel offers competitive salaries to their professionals. According to Glassdoor, Associates at their firm receive an estimated total pay of $68,112 per year. This figure represents the median salary and can still change based on the individual’s level of experience and qualifications. Meanwhile, there’s no recent data for analyst hires.

Associate

In-Q-Tel Careers, Jobs, & Internships

View open roles at In-Q-Tel inside our job board where we also feature all open roles for similar firms.

In-Q-Tel Portfolio & Investments

ClearSpace aims to make space operations more sustainable. The company develops services and technologies that help extend the life of active satellites and to safely take them out of orbit when they finally reach their end of life. Such services are important to avoid build-up of space debris objects and to maximize the value from space-based assets.

In January 2023, ClearSpace announced that it had received a EUR 26.7 million in Series A funding round. This helps them accelerate their mission towards sustainable space operations.

In-Q-Tel participated in the said funding together with OTB Ventures, Swisscom Ventures, Luxembourg Future Fund, HAppiness Capital, 600 T Space Investments, and Lakestar.

Citigroup predicts that by 2040, the space industry will reach $1 trillion in annual revenue. As of now, the global space market is already booming due to commercial and strategic interest from tech innovations, governments, and reduced satellite launch costs.

Next Steps

In-Q-Tel can provide exciting career opportunities in finance. If you’re looking to land a role at their firm (or any firm like it), I highly encourage you to check out my Growth Equity Interview Guide.

Inside this self-paced online course, you’ll find step-by-step lessons which will discuss topics like case study, valuation, market thesis, and many more. You’ll also get access to mental models, frameworks, and expert tips which are quite handy during interviews.

Check out the course and join countless professionals who’ve successfully made the jump into finance. Start learning today!