Tyler chats about the path to working in defense tech with two of Silicon Valley Defense Group’s early-career employees, Dylan Mullins & Sarah Hess.

Today Tyler talks with Mike Moreno, a former CIA Operations Officer who now works at the boundaries of technology and global stability within the public sector, VC community, startups and in his role with the business development team at Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Tyler cracks a beer with James Cross, the managing director of Franklin Templeton and one of the co-founders of the Silicon Valley Defense Group (SVDG). They advocate for startups by explaining how current policy and the interest of the primes favors small businesses, as well as discussing the importance of visible leadership by organizations like the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and James’ approach to venture capital.

In this episode, Tyler and Sam take a deep dive into raising capital: from what makes startups attractive to venture capitalists, to everything you should and should not expect from a dedicated and educated VC, and a whole lot more.