Honestly never thought Benchmark would make a defense tech investment. I was wrong. Congrats @brody_franzen on @Furientis’ $25M seed raise. @SilentVentures is humbled to have led your pre-seed and we’re thrilled to double-down this go-around. Missile interceptors are in short supply. We need more production! Glad you’re on our side. America is better for it. Also, 21 launches in a matter of months is unheard of. Actions speak louder than words. Keep crushing.

Shoutout @jgebbia. This rocks. Can't wait until all federal sites look and operate like this. Imagine a government that actually productively interfaces virtually with its citizens. Next level execution here.

I have a lot of respect for Erin Simpson and @anduriltech's position: that the company will not continue manufacturing the FQ-44 Fury under the CCA program without Congress doing its job and passing an actual budget on time (something they've failed to do since 1996). Sellers need buyer dollars to operate - not a crazy proposition In the words of Ms. Simpson: “What we communicate to the Air Force is that we have invested and have gone as far as we can... we will not have a cold start to production in 2027. We will have assets rolling through. That said, even a company like ours can only do so much without procurement dollars.” Western capital markets are solving America's many defense deficiencies, investing $10Bs in its industrial base, and, as always, negligent U.S. politicians, bureaucrats, and antiquated processes are blocking legitimate progress. D.C. is demanding venture capitalist, allocators, and operators shoulder all the risk, to the tune of $170B+ of investment since 2017 (when Anduril was founded), without any semblance of buyer guarantees. Perhaps this isn't surprising. Congress thrives on opacity, inertia, and disequilibriums. What our Senators and House Reps don't comprehend is that this is a material moment in time that will not again come about if D.C. fails to reciprocate in a market mired by regulatory capture and rent-seeking. Streamlining procurement is a no-brainer. Buyer and seller are perfectly aligned. Product-market-fit has never been this obvious. I hope more neo-primes and companies of consequence / influence take this same stance: no further internal investment until revenue recognition is clear and confirmed. Not confident Congress will solve this glaring issue. I'm sure we get another CR. But for the sake of America, one can hope.

Me: So you spent Trillions of taxpayer dollars on the F-35 program? Uncle Sam: Yes. Me: And what emerged was the most advanced stealth fighter any country has ever fielded? Uncle Sam: Yes (takes a bow). Me: But you’re now telling me UPS magically diverted highly sensitive F-35 parts to Hong Kong? Uncle Sam: Ummmm. Yes (beginning to sweat). Me: And the Pentagon didn’t know about this until after the fact? Uncle Sam: Correct. Me: So there was no real-time tracking and interdiction? Uncle Sam: It appears that way. Me: So you basically just lost highly classified, ITAR restricted parts? Uncle Sam: That’s correct. Me: No wonder you need $1.5T. Also, sue $UPS into oblivion.

I couldn't be more excited for @Simon_Shuham and Matthew Carlson. These gents and their awesome team of engineers, spanning Blue Origin, Sandia National Labs, and Exowatt, are the real deal. Simply put, @SupercriticalUS builds modular sCO2 power blocks that convert heat into electricity. What this means for America's industrial base is that far more energy can be extracted from existing power generation infrastructure without adding strain to the grid. Critical systems, like AI data centers, can literally receive >60% additional energy from existing CAPEX courtesy of American Supercritical. Lower costs and minimal lead times mean better and faster results for the United States and its advanced technology providers. @SilentVentures is proud to lead American Supercritical's $8M pre-seed raise and we're fortunate to have other excellent investors alongside us for the journey.