The Brutal Reality of Building in Defense Tech | John Ferry (Podcast #27)
Most VC-backed defense startups stall, pivot, and eventually die. John Ferry has a few ideas why.As President of Trenchant Analytics and a deeply connected defense insider, Ferry pulls back the curtain on what’s really going on in GovCon. We talk pivot traps, why most military customers aren’t actually looking for innovation, and why founders need to get real about the slow, messy path to contracts. Also in this episode: drone warfare, EW hype cycles, defense memes, investor delusions, and how Signal group chats are changing how the industry talks.Follow John on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnferry1/Timestamps:(0:00) - Intro (0:57) - “Be Honest” Meme and Pivot Cycle in GovTech (2:26) - SLED, FedCiv, and the Struggle to Gain Traction (4:37) - Disconnect Between Government Narrative and Reality (6:01) - Policy Shifts and Startup Expectations (8:38) - Surviving the State of Play in Defense (11:06) - Selling to State and Local? Not Worth It (13:05) - Generational Bonding and Green Beret Background (15:43) - Why Founders Need Problem Intimacy (17:27) - Customer Discovery and the Agile Trap in Defense (19:11) - Bridging the Valley of Death (20:53) - The Signal Group Origin Story (23:00) - VC-Backed Startups in Defense: Hot Takes (26:48) - The Realities of EW Startups and Investor Hype (30:48) - How to Actually Win in GovCon VC (34:00) - PE vs. VC: Who Really Wins? (37:09) - Golf Talk and the LIV Analogy (38:23) - FPV Drone Economics and Threat Evolution (40:37) - Naval Drones and Directed Energy Weapons (43:51) - Drone Buster Tech and Point Defense Concepts (48:03) - Making Soft-Kill Systems Work on the Battlefield (51:00) - Nicotine, Focus, and Founding a Defense Company (53:12) - Thank You for Smoking and VC Media (55:31) - Autonomous Strike and Warzone Realities (58:12) - Why Relationships Drive Everything in GovCon (1:00:22) - Automating Acquisition and Spinning Out Startups (1:03:00) - Focus, Traction, and Staying Alive (1:05:10) - Markets Matter and Seeing Future Problem Sets (1:07:20) - Contested Logistics and 3D Printing at the Edge (1:10:36) - Thermonuclear War vs. Unconventional Warfare (1:13:02) - Military Lingo, Signal Chat, and Soft Culture (1:15:18) - Hiring Veterans and the Team Mentality (1:18:00) - Reflections on the Early Days of Startups (1:20:04) - Field Service Headaches and Simplicity at Scale (1:22:00) - Pure Play Startups and Avoiding G&A Bloat (1:23:52) - Signal Messaging, Jargon, and GovComms (1:26:10) - The Rise of SOF VCs and Founder Culture (1:28:28) - SEALs, Athletes, and Engineering Talent (1:30:00) - DevTech Founder Personas and Sales Realities (1:33:05) - Final Thoughts and Outro 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 #GovCon #StartupLife #MilitaryTech #DOD #EW #Drones #Hyperspectral #VentureCapital #Acquisition #DefenseStartups #DroneWarfare #SoftKill #HardKill #SignalChats #FPVdrones #DefenseIndustry #VCbacked #Contracting #StartupStruggles
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1:34:28
From NASA to Startup: Building the Future of Satellite Imaging | Vishnu Sridhar (Podcast #26)
What if satellite imaging could go beyond RGB and actually see the molecular makeup of our planet? In this episode, the former NASA engineer turned co-founder and CEO breaks down how his startup, Matter Intelligence, is creating a new class of earth observation sensors that go beyond RGB to capture the molecular makeup of the planet. We talk about hyperspectral imaging, how Matter’s satellites work, commercial vs. government go-to-market strategy, and why most of today’s satellite data is basically noise. Plus: alien life, Carl Sagan, digital twins, and why the maps of the future won’t look anything like Google Maps.(0:00) - Intro (0:58) - Meet Vishnu Sridhar, CEO of Matter (2:29) - Building Cameras for Space (4:48) - The Physics Behind Hyperspectral Imaging (7:02) - Full-Stack Satellite Ops & Data Access (10:57) - From NASA to Startup Founder (13:46) - Alien Talk, Trump Quotes & Pop Science (16:09) - Fundraising & Building a Hardware Company (21:05) - Commercial vs. Government Sales Strategy (26:24) - Tracking Hypersonic Missiles from Space (30:06) - Startup Tradeoffs: Build vs. Buy (36:58) - Terraforming Mars & Space Colonization (43:12) - Data Moats & the Path to Monopoly (47:00) - Building the Earth’s Digital Twin (51:00) - Future Vision: B2C Satellite Applications Vishnu on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishnu-sridhar/Matter Intelligence: https://matter.com/Follow the show everywhere! 👇YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thedroneultimatum?feature=sharedApple 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 #NASA #EarthObservation #SpaceTech #SatelliteImaging #StartupLife
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1:09:55
From Combat Zones to Satellites: The Future of Earth Intelligence | Luke Fischer (Podcast #25)
Luke Fischer is the Co-Founder and CEO of SkyFi, an industry-leading Earth Observation marketplace company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Before co-founding SkyFi, Luke was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Shield Capital, focusing on investing in Space, Autonomy, AI, and Cyber. Prior to joining Shield Capital, he led Government Operations at Joby Aviation, and prior to Joby was Head of Flight Operations at Uber. Luke is also a highly decorated US Army Special Operations Aviation veteran with experience leading teams in demanding environments.TOPICS(0:00) Intro(1:13) About SkyFi and How It Works(5:20) Luke’s Background - Army to Entre(14:00) Austin4America(20:05) Getting into Business(23:11) Partnering with Bill Perkins and Fundraising(26:32) VTOL Aircraft(29:13) SkyFi Customer Base & Use Cases(34:43) Roadmap for SkyFi(38:05) The Value in Satellite Imaging(40:55) The Drone Problem + Luke's Lived Experience(46:10) DoD innovation Must be Faster(49:45) Supporting the American Market & Industrial Base(53:43) Autonomous Vehicles in the Military(1:01:49) The Drone Dual Use Dilemma(1:08:59) Display Ads are Underrated(1:12:43) Bill Perkins Book + TVs and Movies(1:18:26) Aliens(1:19:35) Outro--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/
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1:19:41
The Future of Defense Tech Investing | Jackson Moses (Podcast #24)
A proven serial entrepreneur and early defense tech investor, Jackson Moses currently serves as the Founder and Managing Partner of Silent Ventures, an early stage venture firm that invests in exceptional founders building unrivaled aerospace, defense, and national security startups. He also founded and manages Silent Capital, a private syndicate that provides its members exclusive access to leading multi-stage defense and deep tech deals. Additionally, Jackson serves as a Senior Advisor to the founding teams of Castelion and Privateer Space.(0:00) Intro(1:09) Founder Support Systems(4:33) About Silent Ventures(8:50) Layered CUAS Defense(12:20) Hypersonics in the Pacific(13:02) Trump Changes to Defense Budget(15:59) Areas to Invest in 2025(20:10) Investing in Aeon(26:09) Banning DJI(30:49) DoD Requirements(34:22) Space Investments (38:55) Conspiracy Theories (44:45) Anduril (47:15) Sizing Checks & Investment Strategy (56:59) Defense Industry vs Other Industries (59:25) Competing with China (1:02:40) Texas is Great (1:05:44) Contested Logistics (1:07:25) Defense Guys Aren’t War Dogs (1:13:50) Steve’s 7/11 Dream (1:15:00) Outro--Follow Jackson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacksonmoses/Silent Ventures: https://silentvc.com/--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/
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1:15:42
Laser Weapons, Defense Startups, Reshoring U.S. Manufacturing | Michael LaFramboise (Podcast #23)
Michael LaFramboise is the co-founder and CEO of Aurelius Systems, a defense technology startup building the next generation of autonomous counter-UAS. Their premier product, the Archimedes Laser Sentinel, combines high-powered directed energy with edge-deployed advanced control for unparalleled point-defense capabilities.TOPICS(0:00) Intro(1:06) Our First Laser Guest(2:29) BlueHalo’s Locust(4:29) US Navy Laser Weapons(5:51) Steve’s Sub Experiences(8:14) What’s Different About Defense(11:25) A New Defense YC?(17:14) Aurelius’ Laser, Explained(26:45) Demo Plans + Fundraising(32:58) Improving CROWS Weapon System(39:46) Aurelius Growth Plan(44:25) Importance of Lobbying(48:08) How Long EW Will Be Effective Against Drones (57:31) The Path to a $1T Laser Company(01:01:22) 7/11 Life After Defense Companies(01:10:41) Investor Relations Life(01:16:11) Founder Life = R&R (Raising and Recruiting)(01:17:54) Computer Vision and Equipment Challenges(01:24:30) Outro--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/
The preeminent podcast for all things drones, defense tech, defense policy, and modern warfare. Featured guests include industry leaders, policy experts, military warfighters, business titans, and many more. Hosted by Steve Simoni, co-founder and CEO of Allen Control Systems.
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