Naweed Tahmas, former Special Assistant to the President, discusses the intersection of defense policy and innovation. Alex Moore, from 8VC, dives into challenges and opportunities in defense tech investments. Casey Perley, leading the Army Applications Laboratory, emphasizes the need for collaboration between the Army and startups to accelerate technological integration. They explore topics like dual-use technology, innovative drone strategies, and the evolving dynamics of defense startups amidst changing military needs and funding landscapes.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Epirus Funding and Vision
Epirus raised $250 million to advance directed energy applications.
They aim to create an 'iPhone' form factor for directed energy weapons, starting with counter-drone tech.
insights INSIGHT
Shifting Investment Landscape
Venture capital investment in defense tech, including lethal tech, has increased significantly.
This shift requires the DoD to adapt its thinking, as lethality was traditionally the domain of prime contractors.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Prioritize Commercial Market
Dual-use tech companies should focus on the commercial market first to gain revenue and stability.
This helps them withstand potential delays or changes in defense contracts.
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Audience Questions--Naweed Tahmas served as the Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director of the White House.He advised the President, and advanced the Administration's key policy and personnel priorities in coordination with over 15 federal departments and agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Department of Interior, General Services Administration, National Science Foundation, and others. He successfully negotiated and secured key policies that protected manufacturing jobs and critical supply chains.He has also held director roles at Firehouse Strategies and Umbra Space.--Alex Moore focuses on incubating companies through 8VC’s Build Program, Defense, building talent networks and fundamental operational support for the portfolio. Alex also focuses on enterprise and seed-stage investments. Prior to joining 8VC Alex was a startup operator for 12 years. Alex was the first employee and Director of Operations at Palantir Technologies, building the team from one room to 350 people, $100mm in sales. Alex co-founded Backplane, a social media analytics company, and NodePrime, a cloud automation company which was acquired in 2016 by Ericsson.--As Army Applications Laboratory’s executive director, Dr. Casey Perley leads the mission to reshape how the Army works with industry to provide the best tech in the world to the best Army in the world. Her vision is for AAL to work from problem inception to sustainment hand in glove with stakeholders across the Army and the Department of Defense to accelerate and assess the Army’s ability to ingest innovation.----Follow the show everywhere! 👇Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3YOfGtOApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-drone-ultimatum/id1770994541X (Twitter): https://x.com/droneultimatumInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedroneultimatum/Check out Allen Control Systems (ACS): https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/#podcast #DefenseTech #MilitaryInnovation #StartupFunding #VentureCapital #NationalSecurity #Lethality #DualUseTech #DefenseIndustry #AI #Robotics #Autonomy #MilitaryTech #Drones #DefenseStartups #DirectedEnergy #MissileTech #GovTech
The Drone Ultimatum