Mission Matters Podcast

Exploring the intersection of technology, national security, and startups through conversations with founders and government technologists.

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/9HnMc9lRTk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/C7Jfi4GJdG
YouTube: https://t.co/C0cO3EW2Bk
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xWcUFCt0DP

Visit Code Metal's website: https://t.co/Lx2vmxu9Zg

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

In commercial, a customer who wants your product knows how to buy it.

In defense, you often have to walk them through their own org to make it happen. Sometimes even up to the legislative side.

@PeterMoralesX, CEO of @Code_Metal_AI, on the weirdest part of selling to the DoD 👇

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/9HnMc9lRTk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/C7Jfi4GJdG
YouTube: https://t.co/C0cO3EW2Bk
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xWcUFCt0DP

Visit Code Metal's website: https://t.co/Lx2vmxu9Zg

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Most dual-use founders try to invent the solution first.
@PeterMoralesX, CEO of @Code_Metal_AI , says the move is the opposite: go talk to the customer, find out what they actually need, then use your venture backing to build exactly that.

(link in comments)

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/9HnMc9lRTk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/C7Jfi4GJdG
YouTube: https://t.co/C0cO3EW2Bk
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xWcUFCt0DP

Visit Code Metal's website: https://t.co/Lx2vmxu9Zg

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

A customer asked if @Code_Metal_AI could modernize their code base. The team finished a year's worth of work and sent it back. Then the customer wanted 19 more modules done.

@PeterMoralesX on the moment a customer realized what code translation actually unlocks

(links below)

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/9HnMc9lRTk
YouTube: https://t.co/C0cO3EW2Bk
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xWcUFCt0DP

Visit Code Metal's website: https://t.co/Lx2vmxu9Zg

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

The US military still runs on code from the 1980s.

COBOL. Fortran. Ada. Compilers out of production for decades.

CEO @PeterMoralesX and the team at Code Metal are fixing it with AI and formal verification.

New episode of @ShieldCapVC Mission Matters (link in comments)

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/CFhTwMERUk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/6MHFJR1k38
YouTube: https://t.co/31AwG5549l
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xvnXmGXlmj

Subscribe to Matt's Substack: https://t.co/OEsceHpMfO

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

$53B for AI in the FY27 defense budget.

$46B of it labeled "sovereign AI arsenal."
$29.5B for next-gen compute infrastructure.
$2.3B for Maven

Maggie Gray of @ShieldCapVC walks through the AI line items on this episode of the Mission Matters Podcast

(link in comments)

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/CFhTwMERUk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/6MHFJR1k38
YouTube: https://t.co/31AwG5549l
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xvnXmGXlmj

Subscribe to Matt's Substack: https://t.co/OEsceHpMfO

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

The Air Force is spending more on B-52 engine upgrades ($1.4B) than on its flagship autonomy program, CCA ($1.3B).

The F-47 jumped from $2.3B → $5B.
David Rothzeid on what FY27 actually says about the Pentagon's priorities.

(links in comment)

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/CFhTwMERUk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/6MHFJR1k38
YouTube: https://t.co/31AwG5549l
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xvnXmGXlmj

Subscribe to Matt's Substack: https://t.co/OEsceHpMfO

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Procurement up 82%. RDT&E up 62%.

Matt McGregor on why the FY27 defense budget is finally tilting toward fielding, not just prototyping, and why that matters for future conflicts.

New episode of @ShieldCapVC Mission Matters.

Check the comments for links to full episode!

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/CFhTwMERUk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/6MHFJR1k38
YouTube: https://t.co/31AwG5549l
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xvnXmGXlmj

Subscribe to Matt's Substack: https://t.co/OEsceHpMfO

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

"We used to live in a simpler world where there was one budget."

The FY27 defense budget is really three: $1.1T base, $350B reconciliation, and an Iran supplemental.

Matt McGregor of Creative Defense breaks it down on this episode of @ShieldCapVC Mission Matters podcast.

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/CFhTwMERUk
Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/6MHFJR1k38
YouTube: https://t.co/31AwG5549l
Shield Capital: https://t.co/xvnXmGXlmj

Subscribe to Matt's Substack: https://t.co/OEsceHpMfO

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

The FY27 defense budget is $1.5T spread across 3 buckets — and the J-Books just dropped.

@ShieldCapVC sat down with Matt MacGregor of Defense Tech & Acquisition News to decode what it actually means for defense tech founders.

See comment for links!

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

Spotify: https://t.co/oCldOgBVcD
Apple: https://t.co/zHoDeDZb9v
Youtube: https://t.co/4JFZFcHFJY

[Mission Matters Podcast @Shield_Cap_Pod]

The biggest blocker to US AI dominance is energy. There are 6 gigawatts of stranded power sitting unused across the US. @armada_ai has the solution: don't move the energy to the data. Move the data to the energy.

Listen to the Mission Matters episode on YT, Spotify, and Apple.