Ep. 103 | What Founders Need to Know About The Defense VC Boom with Nick Snoad

I sat down with Nick Snoad, VP at Marlinspike, to talk about the surge of capital into defense and dual-use tech—and how he actually evaluates teams, markets, and milestones at the earliest stages.

What we get into:

● Why dual-use matters: bigger markets, more paths to scale
● How stage changes the bar: from “prove the tech and market” at seed to “execute and expand” post-A
● Using non-dilutive routes (SBIRs, DIU, OTAs, TACFI/STRATFI) without losing the product roadmap
● Where adoption is slow and where it’s breaking open: autonomy, simulation-driven wargaming, and the factory OS
● Sectors on his radar now: energy (incl. nuclear and geothermal) and data-enabled manufacturing
● What “value-add” looks like in defense VC (it’s not just a check)
● Team signals he trusts: balanced founding groups, clear hiring plans, self-awareness on when to bring in a scaler
● Advice to vets breaking in: go learn inside a startup, then decide if investing is your lane

#machinemindsshow #machineminds #automation #automationandrobotics #artificialintelligence
#whatfoundersneedtoknowaboutthedefensevcboomwithnicksnoad #insdiethedefensevcboom #whatfoundersneedtoknowaboutthedefensevcboom #nicksnoad #thedefensevcboom #marlinspike #dualusetech #capitalintodefense #biggermarkets #provethetechandmarket #executeandexpand #nondilutivesroutes #sbirs #diu #otas #tacfi #stratfi #simulationdrivenwargaming #factoryos #nuclearandgeothermal #dataenabledmanufacturing

Episode Highlights:
00:00 Machine Minds Show Introduction
04:29 Planning to lead team running missions
08:47 We’re a multi-stage fund
12:47 Number of deployments of this software across an enterprise
17:12 Future of factories and hrien
22:02 Simulation architecture to be able to rapidly refresh
28:18 How do you define success for marlin spike?
32:50 What our strength and weaknesses

Check Out These Related Videos!
Ep 26 | Transforming Retail Workflows Using Robotics with Brennand Pierce
   • Ep. 26 | Transforming Retail Workflows Usi...  
Ep 27 | Simplifying Robotics Systems for Logistics with Jeff Mahler
   • Ep. 27 | Simplifying Robotics Systems for ...  
Ep. 28 | Investing in Advanced Technologies that Matter with Mislav Tolusic
   • Ep. 28 | Investing in Advanced Technologie...  

Connect with Greg Toroosian on Social Media:
https://samsonrose.com/
  / machinemindsshow  
  / gregtoroosian  
https://open.spotify.com/show/1apGh7x...
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...

Connect with Nick Snoad on LinkedIn:
  / nick-snoad-340389157  

More about Marlin Spike on LinkedIn:
  / marlinspike  

Company Website:
https://marlinspike.us/

Marlin Spike Substack:
https://marlinspike.substack.com/