Assertion certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Doug Beck: Capital and founder interest are no longer defense tech bottlenecks

Doug Beck · From Silicon Valley to the Pentagon: The Future of Defense Innovation · Mar 7, 2024 · at 11:21

Doug Beck, Director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), discusses the evolution of venture capital and startup founder interest in the defense sector.

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“Now there's a ton of capital and a ton of interest and a lot of people who really want to be part of this. So we've really reached a tipping point on that, but we still have a long way to go on taking some of what Brian was just talking about really to the next level, because while now if capital is not really the scarce commodity and interest isn't the scarce commodity. There are plenty of both founders and funders in this space or toward this space.”

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