Rise of Defence Tech from Brad Harrison from Scout Ventures

I am thrilled to have Brad Harrison, a former Army Ranger turned venture capitalist, and the founder and Managing Partner of Scout Ventures. Brad invests at the intersection of national security and critical technology innovation, backing companies like Unite Us, ID.me, Voyager Space, and Tomahawk Robotics — which was recently acquired by AeroVironment.

In this conversation, Brad Harrison, a former Army Ranger turned venture capitalist, shares his journey into the world of venture capital and the founding of Scout Ventures. He discusses the importance of mission-driven investments, particularly in the intersection of national security and critical technology. Brad emphasises the value of both first-time and experienced founders, the significance of government contracts, and the evolving landscape of AI in defence tech. He also reflects on investment strategies, the importance of people in startups, and the metrics for evaluating fund performance.

Timestamps

00:00 From Army Ranger to Venture Capitalist

03:17 The Birth of Scout Ventures

06:04 Mission-Driven Investment Focus

09:07 The Importance of Non-Dilutive Funding

12:10 Backing First-Time Founders

15:13 Case Studies: Unitas and ID.me

18:09 Navigating Government Contracts

21:17 Defensible AI in Defense Tech

24:05 B2B Startups and AI Integration

26:57 Evaluating Startups: People, Product, Market

30:09 Ownership Stakes in Early-Stage Investments

33:14 The Future of Liquidity in Venture Capital

35:57 Lessons Learned from Exits

39:16 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

Brad's Links

LDN/ X – https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradharrison/

Website – https://www.scout.vc/

My Links

Podcast: https://lifeselfmastery.com/itunes

Newsletter: https://partner-grow.beehiiv.com/subscribe

YouTube: youtube.com/lifeselfmastery

Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohitmal

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit857/