Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has appointed Angus Davis, a Rhode Island native and technology entrepreneur with ties to Newport, to serve on the government’s newly established Science and Technology Innovation Board, according to an announcement from the department.
The board was formed through a restructuring that merges two longstanding advisory bodies — the Defense Innovation Board and the Defense Science Board — into a single panel designed to provide faster, more unified guidance on emerging technologies and complex national security challenges. Officials say the consolidation is intended to reduce overlap, streamline recommendations and speed the transition of new technologies from concept to real-world use.
Mr. Davis has spent decades working in the internet and software industries, dating back to the early days of the commercial web. As a teenager, he worked for one of the country’s early internet service providers before joining Netscape, where he worked on the Navigator web browser during a pivotal period in the growth of the internet.
He later co-founded Tellme Networks, a company focused on bringing internet-powered services to the phone through advances in speech recognition. The company was acquired by Microsoft, where Davis went on to help guide speech-recognition strategy.
In Rhode Island, Mr. Davis founded the restaurant technology company Upserve. Under his leadership, the Providence-based firm grew into one of the country’s largest point-of-sale platforms for the hospitality industry, serving thousands of businesses nationwide before being acquired by Lightspeed.
Beyond operating roles, Davis has worked as a venture investor with Foundation Capital, focusing on early-stage companies in financial technology, artificial intelligence and enterprise software. More recently, he co-founded an investment firm aimed at revitalizing housing in Puerto Rico.
A native Rhode Islander, Davis has remained active in civic and educational causes. He has served on education and preservation boards and played a role in helping establish Rhode Island’s Teach For America corps, along with supporting other initiatives tied to schools and community development.
He lives in Dorado, Puerto Rico, with his family, while maintaining connections to Newport and the state.
Earlier this year, Hegseth appointed another Newport resident, Mike Cadenazzi, as Assistant Secretary of War for Industrial Base Policy.
The new board is expected to advise senior leaders on artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, digital engineering, emerging commercial technologies and other areas considered critical to maintaining the nation’s defense capabilities in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
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