Founder retreats are a little different at @BrickyardVC

we met up with the @askaridefense team this week. In just a year and a half, the team has grown to seven engineers right in @techsqATL and secured more than $2 million in Department of Defense contracts, all while staying rooted right here in Atlanta. #BuiltInTheA

Being a defender of the defenseless is a core thesis for the WaterStone Impact Fund. @rob_zedd and @AskariDefense are of the few that are actually building a defense tech company with humans (not robots) at the center of the command center. So grateful to be a part of this with an incredible group of people!

Today, we’re excited to share that @AskariDefense has raised a $9M seed round led by @BuildersVC to accelerate our work building hand-launched, autonomous interceptors for the operators closest to the fight. Our focus is simple: give dismounted teams a lightweight, kinetic, fire-and-forget capability against hostile drones without waiting on a vehicle, a fixed site, or a perfect RF environment. We’ve already secured major contracts, delivered systems to demanding government customers, and proven that small teams can move fast in one of the most urgent defense categories in the world. The future of counter-UAS is not just bigger systems. It’s smaller, faster, more autonomous, and carried by the people who need it most. We’re grateful to @BuildersVC for leading the round, with participation from @SovereignsCap, @swellvc, Rule 1 Ventures, WaterStone Impact Fund, and a syndicate of defense leaders including @dominocielo, @DanMagy, @naweed, James Kubik, and others. We’re also grateful to the early believers who followed on and doubled down on Askari’s mission: @BlackwingVC, @KnollVentures, @OverlineVC, Georgia Tech Foundation, and Teamworthy Ventures. Back to work. #AskariDefense #CounterUAS #SeedRound

🚨 Ukrainian kamikaze drone heads straight to its target with ZERO maneuvers... while Russian soldiers' failed defense goes viral on social media! 🇺🇦🇷🇺 "Someone give these guys some glasses!"

Yesterday was my final day as Director of National Intelligence. I declassified and released never-before-seen documents exposing the truth about Fauci directing millions of US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with the Intelligence Community to suppress the truth about his actions and hide the virus’ lab-leak origins, and lied to Congress while under oath in 2024. It’s time you know the truth. Go to ODNI.gov to see for yourself.