As a venture studio founded and headquartered in the DMV area, we’ve seen firsthand how D.C. has exploded into a hub of innovation for private-public partnerships across the defense landscape. But as our National Security Chairman Mark T. Esper, Ph.D. highlighted in his recent chat with Revolution, adoption continues to be the key barrier between innovation and implementation. As companies like DEFCON AI, Valinor and others continue developing the tools that will redefine the battlefield for decades to come, all of us – startups, primes, and government agencies – must work together to scale solutions, not compete. The safety of our nation depends on it.
Co-founder of AOL, Chairman & CEO of Revolution | Entrepreneur, Investor, Author | Championing the Next Wave of American Innovation
Factories of all kinds once fueled the economies of cities across America. Now, founders are transforming those long-idle spaces into hubs for defense tech and advanced manufacturing. As The New York Times recently reported, startups are reactivating factories in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania (our sixth Rise of the Rest bus tour in Central PA pictured), and Rhode Island to produce everything from drones to electric sea gliders. This new generation of companies is reviving industrial towns, rebuilding domestic supply chains, and reminding us that making things in America is still possible. https://lnkd.in/epA4aASH Last week at STATION DC, we discussed the same theme from another angle, exploring why D.C. is also emerging as a hub for national security innovation. The region’s policy fluency and proximity to the Pentagon give founders an edge in navigating the complex defense landscape. And that's drawing more investors and industry leaders to the area. But as former Secretary of Defense and Red Cell Partners Partner Mark T. Esper, Ph.D. noted, “The challenge isn’t innovation, it’s integration.” https://lnkd.in/e7BaKqZV That convergence of all three — manufacturing might, command of policy and process, and adoption at scale — is the space to watch.
