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Defense tech is flooded with money, but who’s built to last?

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Why This Matters

The surge in defense technology investments highlights significant opportunities for innovation and growth, but also underscores the challenges startups face in transitioning from prototypes to sustained production. This dynamic impacts both the defense industry and consumers by shaping future military capabilities and technological advancements. Understanding which companies can endure the 'Valley of Death' is crucial for investors and policymakers alike.

Key Takeaways

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Defense tech is red hot right now. Anduril and Mach Industries just doubled and quadrupled their valuations, respectively, and the U.S. government is proposing a 40% increase in defense budget. A wave of new startups is chasing those government contracts, but according to Ross Fubini, the venture investor who wrote Anduril’s first check, most of them will get lost in the Valley of Death between prototype contract and real production deal.

Watch as, on this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan asks Fubini — the founder and managing partner of XYZ Venture Capital, built on the Palantir alumni network and now approaching $2B AUM — what separates the survivors from the rest.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.