Gordon Daugherty

Seasoned tech executive, entrepreneur, startup advisor, investor and best-selling author ( Co-Founder & Chairman at @CapitalFactory.

[Venus Aerospace @VenusAerospace]

The next step for our flight-tested RDRE. Looking forward to advancing this work with @LockheedMartin.

[Apptronik @Apptronik]

Congrats Kay Sheils Kingsbury on being named to @MyABJ 2026 Best CFO at a startup! Excited to see this well-deserved recognition 👏 #robotics #ai #cfo #apptronik

Read more here:
https://t.co/lFcAzEz45b

[Venus Aerospace @VenusAerospace]

Last week, we announced our $91M Series B.

Today, we're introducing the leaders helping drive our next phase of growth.

Over the past year, we've expanded our leadership across government, product, operations and communications as we continue scaling our flight-proven propulsion technology for defense and space.

Meet the team shaping what's next:

🔗 https://t.co/6YRGs0wo59

[Gordon Daugherty @gordondaugherty]

@VenusAerospace @mercuryfund @LockheedMartin So proud! @CapitalFactory

[Venus Aerospace @VenusAerospace]

Last year, we proved what was possible.

Today, we're accelerating what comes next.

Venus Aerospace has closed a $91M Series B led by @MercuryFund, with participation from @LockheedMartin Ventures, to transform our flight-proven RDRE into deployable propulsion systems for defense and space.

The next chapter starts now.

Read more: https://t.co/TgG0PBHdAi

[Gordon Daugherty @gordondaugherty]

@MattLoszak Exciting milestone, for sure! Also excited for @CapitalFactory to be an early supporter.

[Matt Loszak @MattLoszak]

Very excited to announce that at 12:20am on the 4th of July, Aalo achieved criticality on our first full-scale reactor.

We cut it close, but we pulled it off!!

Working towards this goal with such an incredible group of humans has been the most fulfilling period of my life. This moment has been three years in the making.

Last year, Executive Order 14301 called for at least three new reactors to go critical before July 4th, 2026.

As of late last Friday night, that goal has been surpassed!

When the EO was announced, we immediately sat down to figure out what the most ambitious scope would be, while still being potentially achievable by July 4th.

Some of the team proposed doing simplified designs with smaller fuel loads, or building in existing facilities.

One thing was clear: We wouldn't have time to integrate a full-scale sodium heat-removal loop to bring the reactor to its full 30 MWt.

So here’s where we landed:

➡️ We purchased the entire commercial-scale fuel load. This is enough fuel to operate at 30 MWt / 10 MWe for 3 years before refueling. To my knowledge, it’s the largest fuel load that’s been taken critical in the DOE pilot program, by far.

➡️ We built a full-scale reactor vessel in our factory, and loaded in our commercial graphite layout. All the dimensions, vessel thickness, and manufacturing techniques are essentially the same as we will use for the imminent commercial version. There will be a few minor tweaks for sodium flow and full-power, but nothing major.

➡️ We built an entirely new reactor facility at the Idaho National Lab. Building a building is easy. Building a new reactor facility comes with a mountain of paperwork, policies, operation and training procedures, security, instrumentation and control, and more.

Zero-power criticality might seem like a small step, but I can tell you, going through the exercise of building a reactor and taking it to criticality has been extremely valuable.

The learnings on regulatory, ops, manufacturing, supply chain, QA, economics, engineering, and design will accelerate our path through to the final iteration at full-power.

America is blessed to have a recent Cambrian explosion of startups in nuclear, all going after different markets, technologies, and strategies.

I’m excited that sodium, gas, salt, and new PWRs are all getting pushed forward once again. The best outcome for humanity is to have all these advance in parallel, as quickly as possible, while maintaining safety.

Thanks again to our amazing team, DOE, INL, BEA, and everyone else who helped us get to where we are today.

This could not have happened anywhere else. Happy birthday, America!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

There has never been a better time for nuclear energy. The Second Atomic Age has begun, and this one will be here to stay.

[Andrew Kang @Rewkang]

VC interest in robotics has barely started

[Apptronik @Apptronik]

Welcome to Robot Park, where we’re building the future with Apollo 2. Robot Park is where Apollo learns today, getting the experience needed to make a difference tomorrow.

#Apptronik #Robotics #AI #Humanoids

[Apptronik @Apptronik]

Today we’re announcing Robot Park, our nearly 90,000-square-foot facility where Apollo 2 is collecting real-world training data needed to advance autonomous humanoid robots. Learn more about Robot Park and Apollo 2 here: https://t.co/kpcTYbQgU3

[Gordon Daugherty @gordondaugherty]

@humanoidsdaily @Apptronik What an exciting time for Apptronik and the humanoid robotics industry. @CapitalFactory has been proud and loyal supporters for more than 8 years, and the best is certainly yet to come!

[Brett Hurt @brettahurt]

In my book launch event on Tuesday I had some words to share about Josh Baer and his final lesson to us all. I loved him like a brother and always will. And I will always honor him. 🙏🏻💔❤️

I’m speaking on July 1st at @CapitalFactory and will honor him there.

[a16z @a16z]

VC interest in robotics is surging

Charts of the Week: https://t.co/qmjdkZzisp

[Gordon Daugherty @gordondaugherty]

@TheAmericanCEO What a journey. Glad I could tag along for a short part of it!

[STATION Austin @STATION_Austin]

Building in AI, cybersecurity, robotics, autonomy, or defense tech?

The dual-use ecosystem is moving fast. Join us June 18 for Dual-Use Academy and hear from experts on CMMC, government partnerships, startup opportunities, and more.

🔗 https://t.co/07fRpb0bck

[STATION Austin @STATION_Austin]

Most dual-use founders leave millions on the table — not because they aren't fundable, but because they don't know the playbook.

Dual-Use Academy on June 18 changes that.

Register today 🔗 https://t.co/Q8XBQG7cep

[STATION Austin @STATION_Austin]

Registration is open for Dual-Use Academy on June 18. 👀

For founders building in AI, cyber, robotics, autonomy, defense tech, and more. 🚀

Learn how startups navigate government funding, connect with experts and position for long-term opportunities.
👉 https://t.co/lktMnGgg4K

[Gordon Daugherty @gordondaugherty]

Defining Success After Three Olympics and No Medals | Elli Overton | TE... https://t.co/OqVYS0YE98 via @YouTube

[Fed Supernova @FedSupernova]

Applications to be part of the Fed Supernova Pitch Track, sponsored by @CapitalFactory are now open💥

Building in defense, government, or national security? Get your startup in front of funders, partners, and customers.

Apply by June 17 👉 https://t.co/aNfWJXAMaf

[Joshua Baer ⚙️ @JoshuaBaer]

Most investors wait for proof. @CapitalFactory bets on physics-grade moonshots before the world knows they exist. Congrats to @CasimirInc on launching out of stealth — world's first quantum energy chip, $12M oversubscribed seed, out of Texas.