Washington Harbour Parking: Garage is located at 3000 K St NW, in the Washington Harbour’s East Building. The garage entrance is on K St between 30th and Thomas Jefferson St. • Please note: Foley does not validate parking • The garage is open 24/7 and accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover

The Chaos Playbook: The Briefing Serious Operators Don’t Skip

A Strategy Sprint Hosted by DCNext — formerly MIT Enterprise Forum of DC and now associated with MIT MIx

By DCNeXT - Enterprise Innovation Network Washington

Location

3000 K St NW suite 600

3000 K Street Northwest #suite 600 Washington, DC 20007

Refund Policy

No Refunds

Agenda

5:30 PM - 6:10 PM

Registration, refreshments, networking

6:20 PM - 6:30 PM

Opening remarks: Ybet Villacorta, Partner, Foley

Ybet Villacorta

Dr. Ybet Villacorta is a leader at the intersection of policy, innovation, and national resilience. He's an intellectual property lawyer who focuses on establishing, exploiting and enforcing intellec...

6:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Tactical Briefings: Contracting Chaos | VC in a Hype Cycle | Tariff Whiplash

6:30 PM - 6:45 PM

Contracting Chaos

John Strom

Mark Grundvig

John Strom: Procurement strategist who has helped dozens of dual-use startups unlock their first contracts. He’ll break down what’s working, what’s not, and where the door is actually open. Mark Gru...

6:50 PM - 7:05 PM

VC in a Hype Cycle

Von Bryant

Craig Asher

Von Bryant: Deal strategist behind early-stage investments in AI, clean tech, and dual-use startups. He’ll unpack how the smartest funds are structuring around regulatory friction. Craig Asher: Co-l...

7:10 PM - 7:25 PM

Tariff Whiplash

Greg Husisian

Christopher Swift

Greg Husisian: Trade and national security advisor who has worked across export controls, CFIUS, and global sanctions. Expect a real-time view of how tariffs and trade rules are shifting. Christophe...

7:30 PM - 7:45 PM

Q&A

7:50 PM

Rooftop networking and reception

About this event

Paid venue parking

The Headlines Say “Crisis.”

We Say: Competitive Advantage.

Tariffs. Layoffs. Budget freezes. Contract cancellations.
If you're building anything right now, it feels like the world is in freefall.

But for serious operators, this chaos is a signal; not just noise.

This isn’t a panel for panels’ sake.
It’s a real-time pulse check — and a strategy sprint for what’s next.

Agenda at a Glance

5:30 PM – Registration, refreshments, networking

6:20 PM – Opening remarks: Ybet Villacorta, Partner, Foley

6:30 PM – Tactical Briefings:

Contracting Chaos
VC in a Hype Cycle
Tariff Whiplash

7:30 PM – Open Q&A

7:50 PM – Rooftop networking and reception

DCNext is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit .

Our Instant Expert Events deliver high-signal briefings for people building, funding, and shaping what’s next.

At this event, we’ll announce our invite-only membership for active members in our community, offering exclusive access to a network of operators, investors, and insiders at the intersection of innovation, defense, and deep tech.

This event is your first chance to get in.

Organized by

DCNeXT - Enterprise Innovation Network Washington