Frankly, in the beginning, they didn't work at all.

That's when the DOD first started to realize that it was a totally new threat.

You can learn them the hard way if I just start a company and go do it,

or maybe you can have some training wheels.

But ultimately, there's no way to learn how to do this job other than to just do it.

As taxpayers, as veterans, and as founders, we should want that level of competition and that cut-throw competition

to onboard things quickly and off-board things quickly.

You can't have a company where people are split on what they care about and what those foundational

values are. You have to be all on board.

Do you want to do something meaningful? Do you want to do meaningful work?

It's very clear what the stakes are, and it's very clear why it's important.

In 2025, the battlefield is not just overseas.

It's in the tech sacks, the logistics networks, and airspace security systems that power our national defense.

And who better to design solutions than those who have faced these problems firsthand,

those who have served.

In this episode recorded live at our third annual American Dynamism Summit in the heart of Washington, D.C.

A16Z's Matt Shortel, operating partner and chief of staff,

plus a veteran himself, sits down with three veterans, who turned to the private sector to build technology companies, tackling secure communications, military logistics, and drone defense.

Joining this conversation is John Doyle, founder and CEO of Cape, David Tuttle, co-founder and CEO of Rune, and Grant Jordan, founder and CEO of Skysafe.

Today, you'll get to hear on-the-ground stories from these veterans, like how their time in

uniform has shaped the scope of problems that they see and ultimately what they've chosen to build.

They also discuss whether a jump directly from military to entrepreneurship is possible, or

...