From Silicon Valley to Pentagon: The Intersection of VC and Dual-Use Tech | The Pair Program Ep32

In this episode, we hear from startup founder and venture capital partner: Topher Haddad and Michael Brown. They delve into a key area of innovation in the defense space: dual-use startups. These startups straddle between the commercial space and the federal sector. And they’re making waves in the federal defense sector.

Get an inside look into the inner workings of VC–founder relations, including how they work together and what they’re looking for in the partnership.

About the guests:

Topher Haddad is the co-founder and CEO of Albedo, building a new platform for Earth Observation in very low earth orbit (VLEO). Albedo’s satellites will co-collect optical and thermal infrared imagery at the highest resolution commercially available, serving markets in agriculture, utilities, mapping, insurance, and defense. Topher previously worked as an engineer at Lockheed Martin on national security satellites.

Michael Brown is a partner at Shield Capital (a venture fund focused on defense technology—AI, cyber, space and autonomy) as well as a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Michael is the former Director of the Defense Innovation Unit for the U.S. Department of Defense where he worked for 7 years. Prior to that he was the CEO of Symantec, at the time the cybersecurity industry leader and before that CEO of Quantum, a computer storage maker.

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