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Alex Harstrick & Jonathan Bronson, Co-Founders – J2 Ventures (EP.70)

Feb 3, 2026

Guest

Jonathan Bronson

Guest

Alex Harstrick

Jonathan Bronson, former D.E. Shaw pro turned infrastructure and private equity investor. Alex Harstrick, ex-special-operations strategist who led Pentagon acquisitions. They discuss launching a dual-use defense and commercial VC, the grind of early SPV fundraising, choosing service providers and ops, cutting low-signal LP meetings, and using ODD feedback as free consulting.

50:42

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ANECDOTE

SPVs Built Credibility And Early Wins

Alex and Jonathan started by running SPVs and sold early winners like Oura Ring to prove they could source and add value.
They raised nearly $10M via many small individual checks before launching a blind-pool fund.

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INSIGHT

Military As A Source Of Commercial Tech

The military consistently seeds major tech innovation and now actively partners with startups via new programs.
Dual-use commercial tech can de-risk product-market fit via early defense customers.

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ADVICE

Tin-Cup Fundraising Works

Do relentless "tin cup" fundraising: pitch everyone you know and close small checks to build proof of concept.
Use those concrete investments to narrate portfolio construction when raising a blind-pool fund.

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How Alex and Jon Met and Began

01:40 • 4min

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Jonathan's Background and Transition

05:40 • 2min

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Deciding to Launch the Firm

07:29 • 2min

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Co-founder Roles and Dynamics

09:11 • 1min

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J2's Thesis: Military-Backed Dual-Use Tech

10:15 • 2min

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Team Composition and Expertise

12:34 • 3min

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SPV Fundraising to Leading Rounds

15:23 • 2min

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Cold-Call Fundraising and Conversion Rates

16:57 • 54sec

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Setting Up a Fund: Counsel and Ops Choices

17:51 • 3min

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Ten-Cup Fundraising Mindset

21:13 • 2min

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Pitching Lessons: Avoiding PowerPoint Mode

23:35 • 3min

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Cutting Low-Signal LP Meetings

26:40 • 4min

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Managing Closings and Preventing Leakage

30:15 • 2min

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Breaking Through to Institutional LPs

31:59 • 2min

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ODD as Free Consulting

33:40 • 1min

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Selecting Service Providers Pragmatically

34:47 • 4min

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How Family Offices Differ from Institutions

38:37 • 2min

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Reflections: Mistakes, Grit, and Hiring Philosophy

41:05 • 5min

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Advice for First-Time Managers

46:20 • 1min

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Alex Harstrick and Jonathan Bronson are the co-founders of J2 Ventures. J2 is an early-stage venture capital firm built at the intersection of the private sector and defense tech.

A common question we often get is “how do you get out of the gate, raise money, and launch”. Every firm is different but there are common ingredients, so I turned to Alex and Jon to learn how it all came together for them.

We discuss raising capital which began with what they call “tin cup” fundraising, finding first institutional checks and when to cut off low-signal LP meetings before they drain time and opportunity.

From there we cover selection of service providers, team hiring, retention, and why they treat every ODD process as a form of free consulting.

Whether you’re contemplating your first fund or trying to sharpen a differentiated thesis in a noisy market, this conversation offers a candid look at what it really takes to launch a firm from zero.

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