Matt Grimm is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Anduril Industries, an American defense technology company that specializes in advanced autonomous systems. To date, Anduril has raised over $3.7BN with the latest round pricing the company at a whopping $14BN. Before Anduril, Matt was a Principal at Mithril Capital Management alongside Peter Thiel. Before Mithril, Matt was an early hire at Palantir, where he was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure U.S. forces had the best technology for the mission.
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Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:54) Post-Election Reflections
(03:37) China-Taiwan Relations
(10:32) How Will the Russia-Ukraine Conflict Evolve?
(11:34) Israeli–Palestinian conflict
(13:35) How Are Software & Autonomy Transforming Defense?
(23:14) How Would Matt Design a Structure of Incentives to Encourage Risk-Taking?
(32:05) Does the Defense Market Challenge the Winner-Take-All Model?
(37:27) Will Nations Favor Domestic Defense Providers?
(47:30) Relationship to Regret
(51:22) Fundraise Process
(53:23) Managing the Impact of Secondaries
(59:46) Key Factors Made Anduril a Breakout Success
(01:04:49) The Outlook for Venture Investments in Defense Companies
(01:07:36) Acquisition Strategy
(01:10:43) Non-Obvious Habits Make Matt an “Execution Machine”
(01:13:18) The Secret to a Happy Marriage
(01:17:08) Has Venture Lost Its Way by Focusing on the Wrong Markets?
(01:19:39) Quick-Fire Round
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In Today’s Episode with Matt Grimm We Discuss:
1. China/Taiwan, Ukraine/Russia & Israel/Gaza:
How will a Trump administration change US foreign policy and approach to conflict?
Will China invade Taiwan? What does Matt expect to see happen there?
Will Trump put an end to the war in Ukraine? What will be the outcome?
Is Israel wrong to defend itself in the way it has? How will the situation in Gaza be resolved?
2. The Future of War:
What will war look like in the future?
How is software and autonomy changing the world of war?
Why does the incentive structure of governments buying military equipment need to change around the world?
Will we see a world of robodogs fighting on battlefields? What does weaponry of the future look like?
3. Are We In a Defence Bubble:
With the massive increase in funding to defence companies, does Matt think we are in a defence bubble?
What does Matt believe all investors should know about the defence industry before they make investments in the space?
What should defence founders at the early stage know about building a defence company at scale? What changes?
Who will be the buyer for the many defence companies that have raised early rounds of funding and go out of business?
4. Matt Grimm: AMA:
Does money make you happy?
What is the biggest luxury purchase you have made?
Should TikTok be banned in the US?
What would Matt do today if he knew he would not fail?
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