This week, talking defence innovation with Raj Shah and DarkStar
Issue 04: An interview with Raj Shah, a VC and former F-16 fighter pilot and Director of the DIU; Orqa funding announcement; plus the Darkstar Defence Hackathon in Estonia in January
Good afternoon from the team at Resilience Media
We are a day late getting our newsletter out because I was in Munich yesterday on Resilience Media business. This afternoon, I’m representing Resilience Media at the Dealroom Defence Briefing, where Munich’s outsized impact on the startup defence and security ecosystem will be a point of discussion. I hope you’ll join the session.
I met up recently with Raj Shah, Managing Director of Shield Capital. He has a unique breadth of experience spanning the military, policy, startups, and now venture capital. Raj shares his insights and story in our lead interview this week.
Orqa’s Srdjan Kovacevic spoke on our stage in September and this week announced €5.8M in seed funding, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. We revisited the ‘Drones and the Evolution of Modern Warfare’ panel here.
This is our last newsletter for the year. We will be back in your inboxes in January. Have a lovely festive season, however you may celebrate.
-Leslie, co-founder, Resilience Media
When Raj Shah, Managing Partner at Shield Capital, talks about the intersection of technology and defence, it’s clear he’s not just investing in companies, he’s investing in the future of democracy. Leslie Hitchcock caught up with Raj over coffee one morning to discuss his journey from flying F-16s in Iraq to leading one of the most forward-leaning venture firms in the defence sector. Read on here.
We are huge fans of the leadership being shown by Darkstar in supporting Ukraine through investment, convening the ecosystem, and supporting startups. They have just announced a unique Defence Hackathon in Estonia in January. We chatted with the team behind Darkstar to get more details, which you can read here.
The Defence Tech Briefing: today, 17 December 2024, 16.00 GMT. Join Dealroom, NIF, and Resilience Media for exclusive data and insights on the State of Defence Tech Investment. There’s still time to register here.
Darkstar Defence Hackathon: Estonia, 24-26 January 2025. More details here.
European Defence Tech Hackathon: Join 150+ hackers from all across Europe and beyond for the third edition of the European Defence Tech Hackathon on February 13-16, 2025, in Munich. Apply to attend here.
AI
The Future of War: Are We Ready, What Needs To Be Done
Disinformation
ElevenLabs’ AI voice generation ‘very likely’ used in a Russian influence operation
Ukraine Weighs Telegram Security Risks Amid War With Russia
Drones
How Syria’s Rebels Became Makers of Drones and Guided Missiles
Croatian Orqa Secures €5.8M to Build the ‘DJI of the West’
Government
NATO members mull raising defense spending benchmark to 3% GDP, FT reports
Nato must switch to a wartime mindset, warns secretary general
Ukraine
How Syrian Rebels Incorporated Ukrainian Technologies
The Shitposting Cartoon Dogs Sending Drones, Trucks, and Weapons to Ukraine’s Front Lines
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