Shift5 Taps Combat Vet and L3Harris Exec to Spearhead Growth Phase

ARLINGTON, Va. – January 26, 2026 – Shift5, the operational intelligence firm securing America's most critical defense and transportation fleets, has announced a significant leadership transition aimed at accelerating its next phase of growth. The company has appointed former L3Harris executive and decorated Army combat veteran Toby Magsig as its new president and interim CEO. This move positions co-founder Josh Lospinoso to step away from day-to-day operations and focus on long-term vision and key product initiatives as a founder and board member.

The appointment signals a strategic pivot for the rapidly growing company, shifting focus from its foundational, technology-building phase toward aggressive operational scaling and market capture. Backed by a recent $75 million Series C funding round and major contracts on critical military platforms, Shift5 is gearing up for what its leadership calls “mass-scale deployment.”

A Strategic Pivot for Mass-Scale Deployment

The leadership change is a deliberate maneuver designed to balance deep-seated innovation with rigorous operational execution. While Lospinoso, who was instrumental in building the company from the ground up, will now concentrate on the core technology and long-horizon strategy, Magsig is tasked with driving the operational velocity needed to meet accelerating demand.

“Building Shift5 from the ground up has been the defining work of my career,” said Josh Lospinoso in a statement. “This transition lets me stay focused on long-term vision and the hardest product challenges, while Toby brings the operational leadership we need to scale with rigor. He's exactly the right leader for where the company is headed.”

This sentiment was echoed by the company’s board, which frames the move as essential for capitalizing on recent momentum. Ret. Gen. Rich Clarke, Shift5’s chairman and former SOCOM commander, emphasized the complementary nature of the new leadership structure.

“Josh built Shift5 into a defense imperative, establishing the technical foundation that protects our fleets today,” Clarke stated. “As we pivot to mass-scale deployment, Toby is the force multiplier we need. He brings a commander's mindset to our operations, ensuring absolute accountability and precision in execution. This structure unleashes Josh to push the technical horizon while Toby drives the operational velocity required to capture the market.”

This transition is common in high-growth tech companies, particularly in the defense sector, where navigating complex acquisition processes and deploying solutions at scale requires specialized operational expertise. By installing a leader with deep experience in both, Shift5 aims to convert its technological edge and recent wave of investor confidence into a dominant market position.

From Battlefield Command to Corporate Strategy

Toby Magsig brings a formidable track record forged in both the military and the defense industry. His 26-year career in the U.S. Army is marked by extensive operational experience, including twelve combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and command of a 4,500-member Airborne Infantry Brigade. His final military assignment was as commander of the Joint Modernization Command at Army Futures Command, where he was responsible for integrating over 110 future technologies across all branches of the armed services and leading the Army’s largest annual technology experiments.

After his military service, Magsig transitioned to L3Harris Technologies, where he served as vice president and general manager of Enterprise Autonomous Solutions. There, he spearheaded the launch of new product lines, including the AMORPHOUS software for multi-domain drone control and DiamondBack autonomous vehicles. His leadership of the LHXelerator successfully integrated non-traditional and commercial capabilities into L3Harris’s product ecosystem, demonstrating a keen ability to bridge the gap between emerging tech and established defense needs.

Magsig’s background aligns directly with Shift5’s core mission of providing real-time data from operational technology (OT) systems—the onboard computers and networks that run everything from fighter jets to locomotives. His experience in fielding complex, multi-domain systems in contested environments provides him with a unique perspective on the needs of the modern warfighter and operator.

“What Shift5 has developed is exactly what our warfighters and operators need - real-time visibility into the systems they depend on,” Magsig said. “The demand for Operational Intelligence across defense and transportation is accelerating, and Shift5 is uniquely positioned to meet it. I'm excited to join the Shift5 team to ensure we're delivering for operators and maintainers, at the pace and scale the mission requires.”

Capitalizing on Critical Momentum

The leadership restructuring is built upon a foundation of significant recent achievements. Shift5 recently closed a $75 million Series C funding round led by Hedosophia, with participation from notable investors including Insight Partners, Booz Allen Ventures, and AE Industrial. This infusion of capital, which brought the company’s total funding to over $180 million, is earmarked for accelerating research and development and expanding its market footprint.

The investment serves as a powerful validation of Shift5's market position and technology. The company has already secured key contracts to install its platform on critical defense assets, including the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet. It also recently won a contract with NAVAIR to deploy predictive maintenance technology on the V-22 Osprey, aiming to use its data-collection capabilities to anticipate and prevent catastrophic gearbox failures.

These contracts demonstrate the tangible demand for Shift5’s platform, which provides a unified, real-time view into the health and security of complex systems. By capturing and analyzing data directly from a vehicle's internal data buses, the platform equips maintenance, operations, and cybersecurity teams to preempt failures and defend against cyberattacks.

Securing the Front Lines of Technology

Shift5 operates in the increasingly vital space of OT security and resilience. Most legacy defense and transportation systems were designed decades ago without modern cybersecurity protections, leaving them vulnerable. Shift5’s platform acts as a digital sentry, monitoring the intricate web of onboard systems for anomalies that could indicate a mechanical failure or a malicious intrusion.

One of the company's most recent innovations is its RF-enabled GPS threat detection capability. This module provides early warning of GPS spoofing attempts, a growing threat that can cause an aircraft or vessel to unknowingly navigate off-course. With a reported 500% surge in GPS spoofing incidents in 2024, this technology offers a critical layer of resilience for both military and commercial operators. Shift5 has already partnered with aviation tech firm Avionica to deliver this solution to the commercial airline industry.

Founded by former military officers who pioneered weapons system cyber assessments for the U.S. Army, the company's DNA is rooted in understanding the operator's perspective. With Magsig at the helm to drive operational scale and Lospinoso dedicated to pushing the boundaries of the technology, Shift5 is now structured to deliver on its promise of transforming untapped data into actionable intelligence, securing the critical assets that underpin national security and modern commerce.