The Drone Ultimatum

Jason Zins is the Founder and Managing Partner of Nomi Capital.

Nomi Capital invests across defense, aerospace, manufacturing, space, energy, and national security technologies. Jason shares how his team evaluates defense startups, why they focus on later-stage companies, and what separates durable businesses from hype-driven investments.

We discuss the current state of defense venture capital, manufacturing bottlenecks, the evolution of military technology, defense software, hypersonics, space infrastructure, and why Jason believes defense remains underinvested despite growing attention from investors.

Jason on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-zins-5317aa3a/

Jason on X: https://x.com/Jason_Zins

Steve on X: https://x.com/StevenSimoni

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Our website: https://www.thedroneultimatum.com/

In this episode, Steve sits down with John "JD" Parkes, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Parry Labs, and Amber Walker, Chief Growth Officer.

(00:00) Intro
(01:34) Building Parry Labs
(02:58) Edge computing and electronic warfare
(07:26) Mapping the defense technology ecosystem
(22:06) Advice for defense startups
(31:01) Ukraine and scalable military systems
(32:30) AI at the edge
(44:20) How defense contracting really works
(45:43) Customer acquisition in defense
(52:24) Software business models in defense
(55:30) The hidden factory behind software
(56:54) Why defense still needs system integrators
(58:45) Open architectures and autonomy marketplaces
(01:02:45) Platform risk in defense acquisition
(01:22:06) Why the best product doesn't always win

Parry Labs develops mission-critical software and digital infrastructure that helps military systems communicate, integrate, and operate more effectively in contested environments.

We discuss the evolution of military software, the push toward open architectures, the realities of defense acquisition, and why integration remains one of the hardest problems in defense.

We also discuss AI at the edge, customer acquisition in the defense market, startup competition, and what it takes to build and scale a company serving the Department of Defense.

John Parkes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-parkes-979738b/

Amber Walker on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-walker-8a2245a7/

Parry Labs: https://parrylabs.com/

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Zane Mountcastle is the co-founder and CEO of Picogrid, a defense technology company building the software and hardware infrastructure layer that connects drones, sensors, autonomous systems, and command platforms into unified operational networks.

Learn more about our sponsor, Cushman & Wakefield: https://linkly.link/2hoRt

(00:00) Intro

(01:18) What Picogrid actually does

(03:34) The integration problem across defense systems

(07:02) Building infrastructure instead of one-off integrations

(10:41) Deploying software inside the DoD

(12:05) Picogrid’s early contracts and growth

(15:07) Why acquisition incentives create friction

(18:45) The engineering talent problem

(22:31) The changing defense industrial base

(27:05) Drone warfare and air defense economics

(31:10) Scaling a defense startup

(35:02) Hardware and manufacturing realities

(39:04) The future of autonomous warfare

(42:58) Marketing and communication in defense tech

(46:32) AI hype vs reality in defense

(50:14) Venture capital and defense startups

Zane on X
Zane on LinkedIn
Picogrid

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Allen Control Systems (ACS): https://www.allencontrolsystems.com/
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In this episode, we discuss the integration problem across modern defense systems, why autonomy changes the scale of warfare, and what it actually takes to deploy usable technology across the Department of Defense.

Zane explains how Picogrid approaches interoperability, why software infrastructure matters as much as hardware, and how the defense industrial base is being reshaped by startups building specialized capabilities.
We also get into the economics of drone warfare, acquisition bottlenecks, the reality of scaling defense companies, and why the future battlefield depends on systems that can work together instead of operating in silos.

Ben Cipperley is the Chief Strategy Officer of HavocAI and a former Navy EOD officer who spent more than two decades in the Navy, including work on robotics, autonomy, and the Navy’s strategic modernization efforts.

(00:00) Intro
(01:21) Ben’s Navy background
(05:05) Robotic naval systems
(12:15) Replicator initiative
(13:25) Containerized warfare
(16:46) Starlink and communications
(25:21) Ukraine vs Russian Navy
(27:55) China and Pacific deterrence
(40:47) Autonomous weapons policy
(46:34) Building a robotic Navy
(56:10) Autonomous minesweeping
(01:00:15) Counter-UAS at sea

Follow Ben on LinkedIn

Havoc AI

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In this episode, we break down how autonomous systems are changing maritime warfare, why drones are forcing militaries underground, and how the U.S. Navy is trying to adapt to a world shaped by cheap autonomous systems and mass production.

We also discuss Taiwan, the Strait of Hormuz, sea denial, logistics, shipping vulnerabilities, modular payloads, Replicator, mines, and why low-cost autonomous systems are beginning to flip the traditional cost equation of warfare.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about the future of naval warfare, defense procurement, autonomy, and the changing character of war.

Weston Moyer and Jonathan Rue of MVP Ventures join The Drone Ultimatum to discuss defense tech investing, AI, robotics, aerospace, manufacturing, and what it takes for startups to scale in national security.

00:00:00 — Intro
00:02:13 — Anthropic and Pentagon AI concerns
00:07:16 — Saronic and defense manufacturing scale
00:08:46 — Guam and Pacific logistics
00:12:25 — Shahed drones and counter-UAS economics
00:14:04 — How defense sales actually work
00:29:38 — Anduril, Lattice, and defense software
00:31:10 — Rebuilding American manufacturing
00:33:12 — Freeform and advanced manufacturing
00:41:28 — Why overcapitalized startups fail
00:43:43 — Ukraine lessons and preparing for China
00:52:09 — AI warfare and Taiwan scenarios
00:53:19 — Wartime industrial mobilization
00:54:21 — Apple, China, and manufacturing risk
01:04:33 — SpaceX and industrial scale

They break down why capital can be a weapon in defense tech, how startups should think about government sales, why congressional and departmental strategy both matter, and what separates serious defense companies from companies chasing momentum.
The conversation also covers Saronic, Skyways, Valinor, Anduril, Freeform, Cambium, SpaceX, China, Taiwan, industrial mobilization, and the future of American manufacturing.This is a wide-ranging discussion on venture capital, defense production, government go-to-market, and the companies trying to rebuild the industrial base.

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MVP Ventures

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