👋 Welcome
The Boyd Institute is a virtual policy studio founded in March 2023. Our mission is to identify and advance asymmetric solutions to complex global challenges — fast, creative approaches that don’t fit the usual playbook.
We work across a small number of high-impact areas at any given time.
⚓ Modernizing maritime - Pushing the maritime sector into the future
🚀 Unleashing space exploration - Frameworks for space mining, debris mitigation, and governance to unlock humanity’s future in space
🌳 Leveling up natural resources intelligence - Better ways to map, track, and manage resources for smarter decisions and environmental stewardship
🌊 Strengthening AUKUS - Advancing Pillar II capabilities to ensure stability in the Indo-Pacific region
🖥️ Improving technology statecraft - Ways to reconcile technology and statecraft to advance geopolitical competitiveness
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Approach
As a nimble policy studio, we pursue efforts opportunistically. We combine the rigor of a think tank with the creativity of a design studio.
Inspired by organizations like IDEO and DARPA, we believe breakthroughs happen when the right people, problems, and sense of play come together. We value experimentation, iteration, and design thinking.
We are not bound by Washington’s old habits or narrow categories. Some of the most important solutions come from unexpected angles and people. That is why we focus on asymmetric solutions, in whatever form they take — policy, technology, business, or beyond.
Board
The Boyd Institute was founded by Jeff Giesea, an entrepreneur and strategist passionate about applying creative thinking to policy and global challenges.
Our board includes Brigadier General John Wilkinson (Ret. U.S. Air Force) and Terry Dunmire, an international attorney and investment banker with expertise in Africa.
Our UK advisor is Peter Varnish, a retired Royal Navy officer and technologist who was part of the UK’s Defense Evaluation and Research Agency (now QinetiQ).
Values
The Boyd Institute’s name is inspired by the late fighter pilot and maverick thinker John Boyd, who is best known for developing and championing the OODA loop. The aim is not to hang on John Boyd’s every word but to capture his essence and apply it to today’s big challenges. In doing so, we intend to push Boyd’s legacy into the future and make it our own.
Our organizational values are:
Speed — embracing a high operating tempo
Openness — constantly learning and adapting
Action — having a bias toward action and valuing doing over being
Moral purpose — a passion for advancing a free and prosperous world and building a positive future
Maverick thinking — embracing synthesis and play, speaking truth to power, and breaking through silos
VRHI — developing a cadence of variety, rapidity, harmony, and initiative
Donate
As a 501c3 non-profit, donations to The Boyd Institute are tax-deductible. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in supporting our mission.
Contact
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