The Drone Ultimatum

Defense venture capital has entered a new era.

In this episode, Steve Simoni speaks with Vardan Gattani, Partner at 645 Ventures, about why investors are increasingly focused on national security, how defense startups are evaluated, and what founders need to build enduring companies.

Vardan on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vardangattani/

645 Ventures: https://645ventures.com/

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Our website: https://www.thedroneultimatum.com/

The conversation covers the rise of defense investing, lessons from Shield AI, manufacturing and supply chains, defense procurement, and why the next generation of defense companies will need to excel across both software and hardware.

Whether you’re a founder, investor, or simply interested in the future of defense technology, this episode provides an inside look at how one of the industry’s leading venture firms thinks about building category-defining companies.

In this episode, Steve sits down with Dennis DeMeyere, Co-Founder and CEO of Autonomous Production.

Manufacturing capacity has become a strategic advantage. As drones, autonomous systems, and precision weapons reshape modern warfare, the ability to produce at scale is becoming just as important as the technology itself.

Dennis discusses how autonomous factories, AI-powered manufacturing systems, and distributed production networks could transform the defense industrial base.

We explore lessons from Ukraine, the promise and limitations of additive manufacturing, the concept of dark factories, and what it will take to rapidly scale production in the event of a major conflict.

We also discuss:
Autonomous manufacturing
Additive manufacturing and 3D printing
Distributed production networks
AI agents in industrial operations
Drone production at scale
The future of the defense industrial base

David on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisdemeyere/

Jason on X: https://x.com/Jason_Zins

Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoni

Steve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/

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X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://x.com/DroneUltimatum

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Our website: https://www.thedroneultimatum.com/

Jason Zins is the Founder and Managing Partner of Nomi Capital.

Nomi Capital invests across defense, aerospace, manufacturing, space, energy, and national security technologies. Jason shares how his team evaluates defense startups, why they focus on later-stage companies, and what separates durable businesses from hype-driven investments.

We discuss the current state of defense venture capital, manufacturing bottlenecks, the evolution of military technology, defense software, hypersonics, space infrastructure, and why Jason believes defense remains underinvested despite growing attention from investors.

Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-zins-5317aa3a/

Jason on X: https://x.com/Jason_Zins

Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoni

Steve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/

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X (Twitter)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://x.com/DroneUltimatum

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Our website: https://www.thedroneultimatum.com/

In this episode, Steve sits down with John "JD" Parkes, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Parry Labs, and Amber Walker, Chief Growth Officer.

(00:00) Intro
(01:34) Building Parry Labs
(02:58) Edge computing and electronic warfare
(07:26) Mapping the defense technology ecosystem
(22:06) Advice for defense startups
(31:01) Ukraine and scalable military systems
(32:30) AI at the edge
(44:20) How defense contracting really works
(45:43) Customer acquisition in defense
(52:24) Software business models in defense
(55:30) The hidden factory behind software
(56:54) Why defense still needs system integrators
(58:45) Open architectures and autonomy marketplaces
(01:02:45) Platform risk in defense acquisition
(01:22:06) Why the best product doesn't always win

Parry Labs develops mission-critical software and digital infrastructure that helps military systems communicate, integrate, and operate more effectively in contested environments.

We discuss the evolution of military software, the push toward open architectures, the realities of defense acquisition, and why integration remains one of the hardest problems in defense.

We also discuss AI at the edge, customer acquisition in the defense market, startup competition, and what it takes to build and scale a company serving the Department of Defense.

John Parkes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-parkes-979738b/

Amber Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-walker-8a2245a7/

Parry Labs: https://parrylabs.com/

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Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoni

Steve on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/

Zane Mountcastle is the co-founder and CEO of Picogrid, a defense technology company building the software and hardware infrastructure layer that connects drones, sensors, autonomous systems, and command platforms into unified operational networks.

Learn more about our sponsor, Cushman & Wakefield: https://linkly.link/2hoRt

(00:00) Intro

(01:18) What Picogrid actually does

(03:34) The integration problem across defense systems

(07:02) Building infrastructure instead of one-off integrations

(10:41) Deploying software inside the DoD

(12:05) Picogrid’s early contracts and growth

(15:07) Why acquisition incentives create friction

(18:45) The engineering talent problem

(22:31) The changing defense industrial base

(27:05) Drone warfare and air defense economics

(31:10) Scaling a defense startup

(35:02) Hardware and manufacturing realities

(39:04) The future of autonomous warfare

(42:58) Marketing and communication in defense tech

(46:32) AI hype vs reality in defense

(50:14) Venture capital and defense startups

Zane on X
Zane on LinkedIn
Picogrid

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Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoni

Steve on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensimoni/

Allen Control Systems (ACS): https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/
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In this episode, we discuss the integration problem across modern defense systems, why autonomy changes the scale of warfare, and what it actually takes to deploy usable technology across the Department of Defense.

Zane explains how Picogrid approaches interoperability, why software infrastructure matters as much as hardware, and how the defense industrial base is being reshaped by startups building specialized capabilities.
We also get into the economics of drone warfare, acquisition bottlenecks, the reality of scaling defense companies, and why the future battlefield depends on systems that can work together instead of operating in silos.