A reflection from one of our Founders
Brian Litvack, the founder of LeagueApps and one of our portfolio companies, reflects on his first investment check from Scout Ventures.
Thursday, March 9, 2023
From the first dot-com bubble to the present, the venture capital landscape has been rapidly evolving. As a long-time investor, I've seen this transformation first-hand. While this may only be a snapshot of the post-World War II military-industrial revolution, it provides valuable insights into the role of venture capital in developing innovative new technologies.
One area of investing that has become increasingly complex yet fascinating is dual-use investing. This type of investing focuses on technologies that have both civilian and military applications. Examples include Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, Augmented/Virtual Reality, Biotechnology, and Advanced Materials. At Scout, we invest in everything except biotechnology due to a lack of expertise or experience in this sector.
Our military backgrounds at Scout give us a competitive advantage in sourcing "hard-to-access" founders from the military, intelligence community, National Research Labs, and leading Research Universities with DoD funding. These founders share a vision of making the world a better, safer place through technological innovation.
One crucial aspect of dual-use investing at Scout is to understand the various sources of non-dilutive government funding. This includes grants, loans, and other incentives provided by the federal government to support the development of dual-use technologies. These funds provide free leverage to Scout's investment capital at different ratios from 1:1 matching all the way up to 1:5 within our portfolio.
At Scout, we believe that investing in dual-use technologies can have a significant impact on society. By investing in these technologies, we can help create a safer and more prosperous world. With our military backgrounds and investment expertise, we are uniquely positioned to identify and support the next generation of dual-use technology pioneers.
From the first dot-com bubble to the present, the venture capital landscape has been rapidly evolving. As a long-time investor, I've seen this transformation first-hand. While this may only be a snapshot of the post-World War II military-industrial revolution, it provides valuable insights into the role of venture capital in developing innovative new technologies.
One area of investing that has become increasingly complex yet fascinating is dual-use investing. This type of investing focuses on technologies that have both civilian and military applications. Examples include Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, Augmented/Virtual Reality, Biotechnology, and Advanced Materials. At Scout, we invest in everything except biotechnology due to a lack of expertise or experience in this sector.
Our military backgrounds at Scout give us a competitive advantage in sourcing "hard-to-access" founders from the military, intelligence community, National Research Labs, and leading Research Universities with DoD funding. These founders share a vision of making the world a better, safer place through technological innovation.
One crucial aspect of dual-use investing at Scout is to understand the various sources of non-dilutive government funding. This includes grants, loans, and other incentives provided by the federal government to support the development of dual-use technologies. These funds provide free leverage to Scout's investment capital at different ratios from 1:1 matching all the way up to 1:5 within our portfolio.
At Scout, we believe that investing in dual-use technologies can have a significant impact on society. By investing in these technologies, we can help create a safer and more prosperous world. With our military backgrounds and investment expertise, we are uniquely positioned to identify and support the next generation of dual-use technology pioneers.
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