josephwalla

We are thrilled to introduce @valinortech to the world! Valinor is a first-of-its-kind company providing a go-to-market engine for the world’s best technologists building products for defense, the broader U.S. Government, and our allies. See more below on why we are doing this: Despite more than $52 billion dollars in private funding that has been collectively poured into top defense and government tech companies, only $22 billion in federal funding has been awarded to the companies in this ecosystem, and more strikingly, 81% of the total amount awarded by the U.S. Government, and 65% of DoD-awarded funding, went to a single company, SpaceX (SVDG, 2024). This is not sustainable. Why is this happening? While the startup community attracts the best talent and builds the most innovative products, technologists often fall into what many call “the Field of Dreams fallacy”, believing that if you build it, the contracts will come. In practice, building and selling technology to defense and government is incredibly challenging, requiring credible feedback from end users in the field, accreditation and clearances, flexible procurement strategies, and a deep understanding of the human terrain at all levels. The go-to-market is often an afterthought, leading to companies getting stuck on R&D dollars while struggling to convert efforts into long term, budgeted programs. What does this mean for Defense, Intelligence, and Civilian missions? The best products often never make it into the hands of the operators that desperately need the latest capabilities to fulfill their mission. Our country is facing unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts from defense to healthcare to infrastructure, but government processes such as procurement drown out the voice of the operator. It is critical that we change this paradigm now. In May, after more than a decade of launching businesses with brilliant engineers at Palantir, and driving more than $2B in net new USG revenue, I decided it was time to give back. I want to spend my time making the world a safer place with the smartest people I know, especially now that I have two young daughters. I believe there are better ways to identify critical mission gaps, fulfill these important needs, and drive sustainable gov focused businesses, while ensuring technologists lead the vision and retain outsized ownership in the products that drive impact for the world. I’m thrilled to be on this journey with @mcan_cath Thank you to our strategic partners @PalantirTech @anduriltech and Helsing, and explicitly @ssankar @SchimpfBrian and @torstenreil who are committed to Valinor and our mission to bridge the gap between the best builder talent and the government, and @teresacarlson @zoink Veronica Daigle Pete Sorrentino Katherine Gordon @bobbyfidz Kurt Freshley @mttgrmm Matt Steckman Joe Larson Parag Shah Matt Van Sant @matthewb417572 @scott_sv for your support in our earliest days. Valinor is proud to be founded in partnership with @foundersfund @RedCellPartners and @generalcatalyst. Thank you @traestephens @grantverstandig and @paulkwan , who had an original vision to find a better way to equip, support, and sustain gov and defense tech builders. Are you a world class hardware or software engineer seeking to build better products for defense, intelligence, or civilian government missions? Build with us. Visit valinor.co for more information.

german vice chancellor habeck with strongest statement (and, dare i say, leadership) from europe i’ve seen on the risks of an expanded middle east war and the rise of anti-semitism. worth your time.

I am super duper excited today to announce Coelius Capital 2. A new $33.3m fund for investing in early stage B2B software. Alongside Coelius Capital Opportunites 2,my rolling fund and the Angellist syndicate it comes to about $100m in new capital to put to work.

Excited to formally announce @BintiFamily's partnership with the state of Washington! We're excited to partner with their team to recruit & license more families for youth in foster care. We're honored for their trust in us & excited for the road ahead <3 news-journal.com/binti-annou…

The big cat is out of the bag! 🐯 Today marks a pretty wonderful day in our journey @Tango_HQ! 1. We announced a $14M Series A from #tigerglobal, @slack fund, and @atlassian ventures (along with @Wing_VC and our amazing seed investors) 🎉

Grateful @BintiFamily was featured in GovTech 100 today 📈 govtech.com/100/2021/