josephwalla

Previously, co-founder/CEO of HelloSign ( Currently, B2B SaaS advising, learning about defense tech, and believer in creating abundance

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

@jcfiaschetti @InversionSpace @danprimack @axios Amazing news, congrats Justin!

[Justin Fiaschetti @jcfiaschetti]

Today we are happy to announce @InversionSpace has closed a $44M Series A financing to build and deliver Arc, our next gen autonomous re-entry vehicle, that will deliver cargo anywhere on Earth in under an hour.

@danprimack from @axios shares more here: https://t.co/tCzXmayyCo

[amit @amitisinvesting]

THE DEFENSE REFORMATION

Shyam Sankar is the CTO of Palantir and believes that the United States is in an undeclared state of emergency.

"Everyone, including the Russians and the Chinese, have given up on communism except for Cuba and the DOD. The only problem is that we are bad commies."

How do we solve the problems of Defense procurement?

What role do tech companies like Palantir have to play in helping solve that problem?

If we don't solve these problems...what is in store for the future of the West?

Shyam is one of the most original thinkers of our time and the following 30 minutes breaks down his core philosophies and beliefs on the current and future state of defense. I got the chance to speak with him and dive deeper into his 18 theses.

Thank you to Shyam @ssankar for spending the time and I encourage everyone to read the Defense Reformation published today.

00:00 - Intro
01:34 - America’s Undeclared State of Emergency
03:07 - Why Are Western Values Under Attack?
05:59 - The Peace Dividend
13:26 - Why Is The Government a Monopsony?
20:24 - Productivity is More Lethal Than Weapon Stockpiles
22:31 - Risking Taxpayer Capital
25:46 - The Only Requirement is Winning
29:26 - Palantir’s Role In Reforming Defense

[Inversion @InversionSpace]

Inversion has been granted our re-entry license from @FAANews for our upcoming Ray mission. Ray will land off the coast of California, marking an important capability to safely return to the USA.

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

Excited about Valinor’s launch! If you’re building for defense or US gov, they help with GTM, often the hardest part. Founded by @Julie_Bush_ , one of the best in GovTech GTM. Check them out here: https://t.co/pPArSCtBzM

[Julie Bush @Julie_Bush_]

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_sanderssb 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 https://t.co/qkrblETyGW for more information.

[Jared Friedman @snowmaker]

Ares Industries, which builds cruise missiles, launched today out of YC’s current batch.

This is YC's first weapons company, and this is an actual photo of their missile.

Here is the story of Ares Industries and why we funded them. (1/10)

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

My sister, @abbywallawalla, is working on an amazing documentary. She reoriented her life after Oct 7 and became close to a young family that survived. She'll be documenting how their lives have changed since the terrorist attack. Check it out and donate
https://t.co/qrwNFPMUnQ

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

Every once in awhile you talk with a founder that's on an entirely different level of inspiring. Couldn't be more excited about what @bscholl building at @boomsupersonic https://t.co/gSRd3KXSDz

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

Amazing to see that YC's Request for Startups now includes defense tech! @snowmaker @gustaf @garrytan
https://t.co/PYRaGfUVAA

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

To put this in perspective, there are 5,000 Americans per aircraft carrier, 11 aircraft carriers and ~64 aircraft per carrier. Just one missile getting through could lead to a national tragedy

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

Raytheon delivered only half the missiles to protect carriers from anti-ship missiles. Problems with our defense industrial base spans 20+ years across planes, ships, subs, and munitions. You might not notice them now, but it’s too late when you need them
https://t.co/CmejWHdKmP

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

Just got connected with your team 🙏

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

@KTmBoyle I'm excited about the American Dynamism conference. I registered but I'm still wanting on approval. Can you help me get approved?

Watched the last one on Youtube, would be amazing to join in person for this one

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

@alitamaseb @KTmBoyle Haha, appreciate it :)

[Bill Maher @billmaher]

All wars end with negotiation, but it's hard to negotiate when the other side's bargaining position is "you all die and disappear."

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

@RitzCarltonHMB This wasn't the experience we had with #RitzHMBWeddings. It was terrible. I recently posted about what it was like working with them: https://t.co/AzizG55XuY

[Mike Maples, Jr @m2jr]

You have to be kidding me. #IronBowl2023

[Eylon Levy @EylonALevy]

The @BBC spells out the concrete evidence for Hamas abusing the Shifa Hospital for military purposes, building tunnels underneath it and abducting hostages into it on October 7.

[josephwalla @josephwalla]

What an inspiring talk from the vice chancellor of Germany. Both touching and shows amazing leadership. Recommend watching

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

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.

[Jotam Confino @mrconfino]

I just saw indescribable, raw footage of Hamas’ massacre along with 100 other international journalists, provided by Israeli authorities. Here are the notes I took: 

1: Hamas terrorist screaming Allah Akhbah as he frantically tries to behead a dead man with a shovel.