Draft:Peter Dixon
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Peter Dixon (born February 14, 1983) is an American entrepreneur, military veteran, and public servant. He is the co-founder of Second Front Systems, a national security software company, and co-founder of With Honor Action, a nonpartisan nonprofit that supports veteran candidates for political office. A former U.S. Marine Corps major, Dixon served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan before transitioning to careers in technology and public policy. In 2024, he ran as a Democrat for California's 16th congressional district.
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Early Life and Education
Dixon was born on February 14, 1983, in San Francisco, California, and was raised in Atherton, California. He is the oldest of four siblings and comes from a family with a tradition of military and local public service.[1]
Dixon earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a concentration in Peace, War, and Defense, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 2006. During his time at UNC, he served as vice-president of Carolina for Kibera, a nonprofit organization working to prevent ethnic violence in Nairobi, Kenya.[2]
In 2012, Dixon completed the Stanford Ignite: Powering Innovation and Entrepreneurship certificate program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.[3]
Military Career
Dixon joined the United States Marine Corps in 2006, motivated by the September 11 attacks, and served on active duty until 2017, attaining the rank of Major.[4]
As a company-grade officer, Dixon led scout sniper and infantry platoons in Afghanistan and served as an operations officer and advisor to Iraqi security forces on the Syrian border during the Iraq War.[2] He worked with In-Q-Tel and DARPA to pioneer counter-cartel and counter-insurgency technologies, including early adoption of Palantir.[5]
Dixon left active duty from the Pentagon, where he spearheaded an initiative to identify geopolitical shifts and rapidly transition disruptive technologies to U.S. forces.[6]
In 2010, Dixon was detailed to the U.S. Department of State as a Special Advisor on Innovation, where he used technology and counterinsurgency expertise to address cartel violence in Mexico, mass atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and corruption in Afghanistan.[7]
Career
ThreatMetrix
After leaving active duty, Dixon became the Federal Programs Manager at ThreatMetrix, a cybersecurity firm, in 2013.[3] He also contributed to standing up the Defense Innovation Unit (DIUx) during this period.[6]
Second Front Systems
In 2014, Dixon co-founded Second Front Systems (also known as 2F) alongside fellow former Marines Mark Butler, Nate Hughes, and Patrick Ryan. The company was established as a public-benefit corporation with a mission to accelerate the delivery of commercial software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to the U.S. government and Department of Defense.[8]
The company's flagship product, Game Warden, is a secure cloud-based platform designed to accelerate the deployment of software and artificial intelligence tools to the U.S. Department of Defense.[8]
Second Front raised a $6 million seed round led by Artis Ventures in July 2020, with participation from Kleiner Perkins, 8VC, and Gula Tech Adventures. The company's board included General Peter Pace, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.[9]
In November 2023, the company closed a $40 million Series B round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA). A $70 million Series C round followed in September 2024, led by Salesforce Ventures, bringing total funding to $152 million across seven rounds at a valuation of approximately $752 million.[8]
Dixon currently serves as Founder and Executive Chairman of Second Front Systems.[9]
With Honor
In early 2017, Dixon co-founded With Honor Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, alongside Rye Barcott, David Gergen, and other veterans. The organization is dedicated to electing principled military veterans to Congress and reducing political polarization by promoting cross-partisan collaboration.[9]
With Honor Action requires supported candidates to sign a pledge committing to civility, integrity, and bipartisan action. The initiative was successful in helping elect 19 veterans to Congress.[6]
Veterans supported by With Honor went on to pass 79 pieces of legislation in a divided Congress, including the establishment of a joint cyber office, expanded veterans' cancer screenings, burn pit legislation, and the bipartisan Safer Communities Act — the first significant federal gun reform legislation in decades.[10]
George Mason University
Dixon serves as a visiting fellow at George Mason University's National Security Institute.[7]
2024 Congressional Campaign
In late 2023, Dixon announced his candidacy as a Democrat for California's 16th congressional district, seeking to succeed retiring Representative Anna Eshoo, who had represented the district for 16 terms.[11]
Dixon ran on a platform emphasizing national security, housing affordability, climate change, gun control, protecting reproductive rights, and the efficient use of technology in government. He faced a crowded field including former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, and state Assemblymember Evan Low.[11]
Sam Liccardo ultimately won the general election on November 5, 2024.[12]