At the age of 23, this Luxembourg native has won over Silicon Valley with his “defence Slack” project

At 23, many people are still polishing up their CVs or finishing their studies. Vijay Pathak, on the other hand, is packing his bags for San Francisco after convincing one of Silicon Valley’s most prestigious venture capital funds to invest in his startup.

His ambition is to create a secure communication tool for military companies and governments – a type of ‘Slack for defence’ – and modernise the way allied countries cooperate on sensitive military matters.

A citizen of Luxembourg, Pathak grew up in Capellen, just a few kilometres from the Nato logisitics base. That proximity was anecdotal at the time, but today resonates strangely with his career. “At the time, I would never have imagined that I would one day set up a company developing software for use by Nato and its member states,” he said in an interview.

A rare feat for a non-British national: Pathak was appointed head of section as a cadet in Britain’s Royal Air Force © Photo credit: Vijay Pathak

A citizen of Luxembourg, Pathak grew up in Capellen, just a few kilometres from the Nato logisitics base. That proximity was anecdotal at the time, but today resonates strangely with his career. “At the time, I would never have imagined that I would one day set up a company developing software for use by Nato and its member states,” he said in an interview.

Educated at the European School, he was immersed in an international environment from an early age. It was a seminal experience that forged his attachment to Europe and to cooperation between countries. Alongside his studies, he led a busy life as a student: football with FC Mamer 32, chess club at Bonnevoie, involvement in school life.

Pathak’s academic career then took him far from the Grand Duchy. First to the UK, where he attended high school at Winchester College. “That’s where I had my first, more direct contact with the military world,” he recalled. “I was a cadet in the British Royal Air Force and was eventually appointed head of section, which was quite unusual for a non-British student.”

From Yale to Oxford

In his view, this experience gave him his first exposure to the workings of military structures and sparked an interest that he would later pursue, notably at Yale and then Oxford universities. At Yale, he studied politics and economics, with a particular interest in transatlantic relations and the economy of the European Union, the subject of his dissertation.

Pathak meeting François Hollande, the former French president, at Oxford University © Photo credit: Oxford Union Society

In his view, this experience gave him his first exposure to the workings of military structures and sparked an interest that he would later pursue, notably at Yale and then Oxford universities. At Yale, he studied politics and economics, with a particular interest in transatlantic relations and the economy of the European Union, the subject of his dissertation.

At Oxford, he began a doctorate in engineering, specialising in artificial intelligence. He also founded the Oxford Luxembourg Society.

“Oxford was an extremely stimulating intellectual environment, thanks in particular to the constant exchanges with researchers, entrepreneurs and public decision-makers,” Pathak said. His academic involvement has even enabled him to meet prominent political figures such as the former French president François Hollande.

At the same time, Pathak twice won the Nato Youth Award and was invited to speak at a Nato conference on the challenges of AI and defence. Gradually, the young man became convinced that technology could, and should, play a central role in international security.

He has also had a long-standing interest in entrpreneurship. “When I was younger, I was already creating websites for small businesses, and I’ve tried to launch a number of projects over the years. Some worked briefly, others not at all, but all of them were formative,” he said with a smile.

Vijay Pathak speaking at a Nato conference © Photo credit: Vijay Pathak

He has also had a long-standing interest in entrpreneurship. “When I was younger, I was already creating websites for small businesses, and I’ve tried to launch a number of projects over the years. Some worked briefly, others not at all, but all of them were formative,” he said with a smile.

All of the ingredients were there for a brilliant career. All that was missing was the spark. And then, something happened which led to the idea for his start-up, Coalition Systems.

In the United States, the so-called ‘Signalgate’ scandal broke in March 2025. Military and government officials exchanged ultra-sensitive military plans via a public messaging system, before a journalist was mistakenly included in the discussion.

For Pathak, the shock was real. He discovered that – despite colossal investments in weaponry – communication and collaboration between allied forces still often relied on unsuitable and even dangerous tools.

“This struck me as deeply inconsistent: we invest billions in highly sophisticated systems, but fundamental elements such as secure coordination remain technologically under-equipped,” he said.

‘Slack for defence’

Coalition Systems’ plan is to develop a secure collaboration platform, designed from the outset for military and government needs. The idea is simple: a tool as intuitive as the messaging platform Slack, but with a level of military security. From there, it is possible to build a complete suite of tech products aimed at closing critical, but often underestimated, vulnerabilities in defence infrastructure.

What makes the start-up unique is the extensive integration of artificial intelligence, he said. “We are developing functions that are unprecedented in the military field, such as optimising shared resources, anticipating logistical bottlenecks and improving coordination between allied units and countries. The aim is never to replace humans, but to provide them with better decision-making tools,” he said.

Vijay Pathak at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas, one of the industry’s best-known events © Photo credit: Vijay Pathak

What makes the start-up unique is the extensive integration of artificial intelligence, he said. “We are developing functions that are unprecedented in the military field, such as optimising shared resources, anticipating logistical bottlenecks and improving coordination between allied units and countries. The aim is never to replace humans, but to provide them with better decision-making tools,” he said.

He managed to raise pre-seed funding for Coalition Systems from Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z Speedrun fund, one of the most prestigious venture capital outfits in Silicon Valley.

“This is a major milestone for Coalition Systems. Andreessen Horowitz is one of the most influential venture capital funds in the world, and their decision to invest in our project is a strong validation of our vision,” he said.

In practical terms, the funding will give the project a major boost. “We’re already in discussions with some of the best funds in the sector, who are interested in what we’re building, and I’m very confident in our ability to build an ambitious and sustainable company,” said the young entrepreneur.

“Above all, I feel a great deal of gratitude to the ecosystem around me, and in particular to my family, who have always supported me. But this funding is just the beginning: the most important thing is still the work to be done.”

At the CES technology conference in Las Vegas earlier this month, one of the sector’s major global confabs, Pathak was invited to speak on a panel devoted to recent developments in artificial intelligence and future trends. “Particularly at the intersection between AI and consumer technologies,” he said.

Describing the conference, he said that “CES is impressive, both in terms of the diversity of innovations and the concentration of major players in the sector”.

“One particularly memorable moment was when I was invited to Lenovo’s keynote at the Sphere, an absolutely spectacular venue. I was able to hear Jensen Huang (the CEO of AI chipmaker Nvidia) and Lisa Su (CEO of rival chipmaker AMD) announce strategic partnerships,” said Pathak.

Despite the fact that his future is unfolding in San Francisco, Vijay Pathak is very proud of his roots. “I’m from Luxembourg, I’m European, and these values are deeply rooted in the company’s DNA,” he said, adding that Coalition Systems will retain a presence in Luxembourg. “I love Luxembourg, and it will always have a special place in my career and in that of the company.”

Given the current geopolitical situation, he believes, as do many others, that Europe must invest more in its defence and technological sovereignty, in order to reduce certain dependencies and strengthen cooperation between member states. “These investments are essential,” he insisted.

So the future looks bright for Pathak and the co-founder of Coalition Systems, chief technology officer Frederick Wollen, a long-time friend who he met at school. Together, they are preparing to build their company in San Francisco.

“When Coalition Systems started to grow, I called him and he left his job straight away,” Pathak said. “I’m really excited about this adventure. There aren’t really any fixed hours, I often work in several time zones at the same time, but it’s something I love. It’s a lot of work, but it’s also extremely rewarding.”

In five years’ time, Pathak hopes to see his solutions deployed within Nato member countries, but also for civilian use, thanks to a dual-use approach. “Our aim is clear: to protect people better through better software.”

‘Europe is bursting with talent’

And his advice to young Luxembourgers who dream of becoming entrepreneurs? “You have to accept that nothing works the first time. I changed my concept many times, made hundreds of presentations, before working on a product that really caught on. You have to remain curious, persevere and take pleasure in what you do. Europe is bursting with talent and inspiring examples.”

“Companies like Lovable [an AI platform for generating apps and websites] and Harmattan AI [which provides AI for autonomous military systems] show that ambitious technological projects can emerge here. We have everything we need to succeed,” said Pathak.

(This article was originally published by Virgule. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by Aaron Grunwald.)