Nathan Diller

Nathan is the Chief Executive Officer of Divergent Industries, the aerospace and defense subsidiary of Divergent Technologies. Previously, he served as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a congressional appropriations staffer, with a 22-year career that included roles as Director of AFWERX, flight test commander, program manager, and fighter pilot, with assignments to the White House, DARPA, and Joint Staff. Nathan holds degrees in engineering, policy, and strategy from the Air Force Academy, Harvard, MIT, the French Test Pilot School, and National Defense University. Divergent Technologies is a $1 billion manufacturing technology startup that began in the automotive sector, supplying top-tier global manufacturers and designing the 253-mph record-setting Czinger 21C production hypercar. Its Divergent Adaptive Production System integrates digital engineering, additive manufacturing, and automated assembly from small components to full vehicle frames at large production quantities. This system is now being applied to aerospace and defense applications across domains and system lifecycles. Prior to joining Divergent, Nathan served on the staff of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, overseeing a $42 billion annual defense-wide R&D and procurement budget. As a Professional Staff Member, he drafted defense innovation legislation to promote appropriations flexibility and transparency, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies. In his final Air Force role, Nathan was the Director of AFWERX, responsible for the strategy and execution of a $1 billion annual advanced technology budget for the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. AFWERX and SpaceWERX aligned emerging technologies to address DoD challenges, accelerating both commercial market and military technology adoption while fostering collaboration with private investors. During his 22 years in the Air Force, Nathan served in operational combat squadrons, flight test squadrons, program management offices, requirements staffs, and budgeting positions. He was the Director of Aeronautics in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, commanded a flight test squadron, and held positions at DARPA, the Joint Staff J-8, the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, the Strategic Capabilities Office, and the Space and Missile Center. Nathan is a member of the DoD Acquisition Corps, a test pilot, fighter pilot, FAA Airline Transport Pilot, and Certified Instructor Pilot, with over 2,900 hours in more than 60 aircraft. He is also the founder and CEO of a strategic consulting firm and an alumnus of the Air Force Academy and French Test Pilot School, holding graduate degrees in engineering, government, and strategy from National Defense University, France’s ISAE-SUPAERO, Harvard, and MIT.