Flashback to my friend @RobCSlaughter at Manifest: Demo Day in March 2025. Rob said publicly what most people outside defense still underestimate: modern defense software gets trapped by rigid infrastructure or stalled by endless accreditation. The best software is useless if it can’t be deployed quickly across secure, air-gapped environments. Like making an F-18 take a week off instead of doing it on the fly. I kinda knew what @DefenseUnicorns did before they took the stage in the video below. They were @shift's very first customer for a new sourcing product (SkillBridge) in 2021. They leaned in so hard on military talent. But Rob's demo at Manifest was the aha moment for me. They pushed a software update to an air-gapped drone in Eastern Europe, in real time, while it was experiencing an EW attack. Fast forward <1 year, they’re announcing a $136M Series B at a $1B valuation. Why? They're supporting >50 military systems with how to update software. What they’ve built actually WORKS, and critically is already FIELDED. Congrats to the team. Everyone should take a moment to wrap their heads around how important this mission really is! 🇺🇸🥂

Introducing Pulsar — a first of its kind family of software-defined electromagnetic warfare (EW) systems that utilizes AI at the tactical edge to rapidly identify and counter new threats in hours or days, not months or years. Threats are evolving faster than ever before — a cat and mouse game of sensing and dodging, disruption and adaptation, in the spectrum — with updates now happening over shorter timelines of weeks, days, or even hours. Incremental improvements to legacy EW systems can't keep up. Pulsar was born, developed, and refined to address today's threats and anything that comes tomorrow. Learn more: anduril.com/article/anduril-…

What is unique about American culture? America fully embraces things previously rejected when it is clear it works.

REGISTER NOW FOR REINDUSTRIALIZE. Apply now to join top stakeholders from tech, industry, govt, military, and finance, June 25-26 in Detroit, to architect the future of the US industrial base. More details on the event, speakers, and content to come soon! reindustrialize.com/register

Looks like DIU is gonna have some work to do in FY24 ;-) $$ LFG

Look at the difference in Defense and Commercial mix amongst Chinese and American primes. Revenue of China's primes: predominantly Commercial (Non-Defense). Revenue of America's primes: predominantly Government (Defense). Commercial market is brutal and hyper-competitive. It punches you in the face everyday. It makes you better, faster. Those gains compound. Chrysler used to make missiles and General Mills, the cereal company, had a mechanical division selling weapons. Commercial market pressure is required for compounding price performance improvements in design, manufacture, and operations. Innovation is a consequence of productivity - and production and pressure for production improvements exist at scale in commercial markets. At the dawn of WW2 we didn't have an Defense Industrial Base. We had an American Industrial Base. That's what winning looks like.

new @a16z podcast: Conversations on the ground at last month's American Dynamism Summit (channeling my inner @ssankar here)

Shift has been core to the defense tech movement from the very beginning. You are the embodiment of leadership. Thank you for building this community 🇺🇸🚀💪

I have an awful lot to say here but that will come in time. I'm feeling gratitude to Mike and the entire Shift team who introduced me to one of my partners and set my career on the path its on today. I'm feeling love for the team who sacrificed for a cause they believe in and are going through a tough time. I'm feeling rage at the Department of Defense who never passes up an opportunity to seize defeat from the jaws of victory and who seems to relish in eating their own. I'm feeling concerned that as much momentum defense tech has on the surface, the counter-currents below the water line are still brutal. As Mike says, we didn't come this far just to go this far but wow this is a setback we didn't need.

This is a huge loss. I am grateful for all the hard work the Shift team put into the Defense Ventures program, which leaves behind an amazing legacy even though it met a premature end

Sad day in our world: Mike and the team at Shift have created an incredible amount of value for the defense innovation community. Join me in thanking them for a job well done. We’re all looking forward to seeing what you all do next.

Sometimes the hardest part of writing an incredible story is ending a chapter to begin a new one. But it MUST happen for the plot to advance. This is an unfortunate miss by AFWERX to double down on, but the story is far from over. Very excited for what @MikeSlagh will do next and am here to help however I can.

@MikeSlagh and the Shift team played an important role in the creation of a robust DefenseTech ecosystem. For those of us who were early to the game, we know the impact helped bring the sector into the mainstream. If you wish to honor their efforts, carry their mission forward. Utilize SkillBridge, hire a Veteran, or commit to meaningful engagement with active Service members seeking exposure to your industry. At the time of the program’s conclusion, I believe that @decisivepointvc had hosted more Defense Ventures Fellows than any other host. I like to think the Fellows always got more out of us than we did out of them — as it should be. We built great friendships and relationships along the way. Proud to have played a small role in this chapter and looking forward to the next. Well done, Shift. 🫡🇺🇸

🇺🇸 “Thanks.” 🇺🇸 Job well done @MikeSlagh and the entire team at Shift. Grateful for all the amazing Fellows and friendships that resulted from this program over the years. Looking forward to the next chapter. 🫡

You’ve done so much. I’m sorry it’s ending this way.

I had the immense pleasure of hosting one of the first cohorts of defense venture fellows many years ago when @MikeSlagh was working out of Expa. It’s been incredible to watch @shift grow from there and see the benefits to so many service members and tech companies. I’ve loved working with Shift again at @a16z and am so grateful for the impact @MikeSlagh has had on the community. He is a true spirit of American Dynamism with a deep commitment to service. Thanks for all you’ve done Mike and excited for your next chapter. 🇺🇸

Tough news: the Defense Ventures Program is no more. In the spirit of transparency and love for our broader community, here is the note I sent to our 450 alumni this morning.

REQUEST FOR STARTUP

Going to be another great day for Deep Tech in America I can feel it

Yes