We held a talk with Sarah Mineiro to inform the government contracting strategy for early-stage founders in Techstars’ Space Cohort. She discussed what can be achieved with a small budget, and how to navigate government agencies and congress.

As part of the Lunch and Learn series, SVDG hosted a discussion with Forge Group, LLC ranging from foreign military sales and international security cooperation to INDOPACOM's investment focus areas to strategies and best practices for commercial industry identification of and participation in programs with allied foreign government partners.

SVDG welcomed a HASC CODEL and STAFFDEL with Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), and 11 other members of Congress at the Playground Global Offices in California to talk to members of the ETR Ecosystem.

In this Lunch and Learn, Schuyler Moore (Chief Technology Officer, USCENTCOM) and Jock Padgett (Director, Advanced C2 Accelerator at CDAO) discussed their experiences building advanced software capabilities for warfighters, including lessons-learned and insights into the future of defense innovation.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)’s “Secure by Design” (SBD) philosophy encourages developers to prioritize the security of customers as a core business requirement, rather than merely treating it as a technical feature. In this SVDG webinar, expert panelists discussed the implications of CISA’s recent Secure by Design pledge.

On Thursday, July 11th, SVDG hosted a webinar exploring the 2024 NATSEC100, sponsored by JPMorganChase. The discussion featured panelists from government, venture capital, and the emerging technology industry to discuss key findings from SVDG’s hallmark research report.

Last week, SVDG was thrilled to preview the 2024 Edition of the NATSEC100, sponsored by JPMorganChase, at their annual VetVC Summit in New York City. The summit afforded an amazing platform to discuss the need for public and private investment into emerging technologies that are critical to national security, with an inspiring groups of veteran founders and funders.

In this webinar, SVDG will discuss the APFIT program in concept and execution; the evolution of the awards process and industry participants; how the Department and Congress measure the success of the program; and what lessons learned we can leverage to scale the desired outcomes for the program over time.

SVDG recently held a webinar exploring a newly-released memo from the Department of the Navy’s Chief Technology Officer that outlines a mission-driven framework and announces that the Navy - led by PEO Digital - will adopt this industry best practice. Watch the webinar recording on either our website or LinkedIn page.

On Tuesday, January 23rd, SVDG held a webinar discussion exploring the national security implications of President Biden’s recent Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence.

On October 25th, SVDG hosted a webinar focused on the DOD’s ability to scale autonomous systems through initiatives such as Replicator. The discussion, hosted live on LinkedIn, featured perspectives from Anduril and ShieldAI, along with insights from the Department of Defense.

On September 21st , SVDG hosted a webinar focused on the venture-backed space industry’s role within our national security ecosystem. The discussion featured perspectives from the Department of Defense, venture-backed space companies, and additional insights from our recently published #NatSec100 report.

On Monday, August 14 at 3pm ET, SVDG hosted a webinar featuring Founders and CEOs from our inaugural #NatSec100 Report. They discussed the NatSec100 from a Founder & CEO perspective, and explored their perspectives on the benefits and challenges of working in the national security ecosystem as a venture-backed company.

In this webinar, we continue the conversation started by our inaugural #NatSec100 report last week, in which we ranked the top 100 venture-backed companies working in National Security. We discuss the development of the NatSec100 and why we created the list, our methodology in ranking companies, In-Q-Tel's prominence as an investor in the space, and answer live questions from the audience.

In the age of rapid technological advancement, the landscape of warfare is evolving at a breathtaking pace, opening doors to a future brimming with possibilities and challenges. In this conversation, we discuss Emerging Technology Readiness.

What is it like working at the cross section of emerging technology and national security? Hosted by SVDG Executive Board Member and Managing Director and National Security Technology Practice Lead at Beacon Global Strategies, Lauren Bedula, this podcast explores the stories of individuals working at this critical juncture. Lauren is joined by SVDG Partner and Investment Officer at Flux Marine, Whitney Tallarico, and Second Front Systems COO Chrissy McGarry.

Silicon Valley Defense Group is proud to partner with the Naval War College Foundation to host, “U.S. and China Relations: Tension in the Indo-Pacific Region” on May 16th, 2023. 25th United States National Security Advisor, LTG (Ret.) H.R. McMaster will join in person to provide the keynote address.

Rapid advancements in technology, coupled with the evolving nature of threats, require the DOD to constantly explore and integrate new and innovative commercial solutions to stay ahead. Flexible funding is one way in which the Department of Defense (DOD) can create an emerging tech readiness ecosystem to foster innovation. In this conversation, SVDG Executive Director Sam Gray and SVDG West Coast Director Sarah Hess discuss flexible funding with Mac Thornberry, former Chairman of the United States House Armed Services Committee.

SVDG Executive Director Sam Gray, along with SVDG Co-Founders James Cross and Chris O’Donnell, discuss Foreign Direct Investment with Jeff Field, Special Agent in Charge, San Francisco FBI Field Office, in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure. This conversation was recorded live at SXSW23 prior to the joint statement issued by the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, and FDIC outlining the protection of depositors at SVB.

Success in venture capital is often measured by a portfolio company achieving ‘Unicorn’ status (the company being valued at over $1B). As VCs invest more heavily in defense tech and the U.S. government cultivates increased commercial technology into its ecosystem, this conversation will explore whether this indicator will lead to the transformation the defense sector is in dire need of. With participant experience across Congress, VC-backed defense tech companies, venture capital firms, and the military, this will be a can’t-miss conversation.