Red Cell Partners

Our Founder, Chairman, and CEO Grant Verstandig will be moderating next week's How We Win 2.0, speaking with the Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies Hon Mike Dodd about how the private sector and the DoW can work together to build and deploy technologies supporting the future of national security. Learn more or register: https://lnkd.in/e2hwk39M STATION DC #howwewin #dc #DoW #nationalsecurity

Congratulations to our General Counsel Heather Stevenson on being named a GC of the Year finalist for Corporate Counsel's Women, Influence & Power in Law Awards – honoring leaders who have demonstrated extraordinary impact through their legal work and contributions to the profession. Heather’s leadership has been instrumental in building the legal infrastructure that supports our platform and portfolio. We could not think of someone more deserving of this recognition! #generalcounsel #gc #award #RedCellPartners #ImpactThroughInnovation

HOW WE WIN 2.0: TECHNOLOGY & WASHINGTON, DC - FEB 26 How We Win is built around a simple idea that the people building the future and the people shaping policy should be in real conversation in the same room. Here's what's on the agenda: CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREAS MEETUP Semi-moderated breakout conversations across Applied AI, Biomanufacturing, Contested Logistics, Quantum & Battlefield Information Dominance, Hypersonics, and Directed Energy - intentionally structured to bring the right mix of people into each discussion. FIRESIDE CHAT WITH SCOTT KUPOR Scott Kupor, Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, joins Arun Gupta, CEO of NobleReach Foundation, for a conversation on technology inside government, talent, leadership, and how Washington and the innovation economy can work more effectively together. FIRESIDE CHAT WITH THE HONORABLE MIKE DODD The Honorable Hon Mike Dodd, Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies, joins Grant Verstandig, Founder & CEO of Red Cell Partners, for a discussion on how the private sector and the Department of War can collaborate to develop and deploy critical technologies at the speed required. COCKTAILS & COMPLIANCE HAPPY HOUR WITH VANTA Continue the conversations while connecting with fellow founders, operators, investors, and policymakers - powered by Vanta, which helps ensure companies working with the government meet modern security and compliance standards. Attendance is capped - register here (STATION DC members get priority access): https://luma.com/6uiap23f And thank you to our partners - we are nothing without you: Baker Botts, Bloomberg Industry Group, Capital Factory, Deloitte, IAI North America, Leonid Capital Partners, Prefect, Red Cell Partners, and Vanta !!

Our national security incubation, Vantive, is hiring a Go-to-Market Lead that can bridge deep supply chain expertise with strong customer development and sales instincts. The role will own Vantive's commercial motion as the company brings its AI-powered supply chain scenario-modeling software to market. Learn more about the role and apply below 👇 https://lnkd.in/et9fbPuM

Our National Security Practice President, Veronica Daigle, will be speaking at the Women's Foreign Policy Group's roundtable in DC next month. She'll be leading the defense tech conversation, while others cover everything from critical minerals and energy security to the regional shifts reshaping global strategy. Register here: https://lnkd.in/e4m74bxU

Our national security incubation is hiring a Principal RF Engineer to lead the design of their breakthrough hardware securing communications across the electromagnetic spectrum. Up for the role? Learn more and apply below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/eumz8MKM

The Department of Defense is welcoming new players to the fore, opening doors for startups to contribute to the defense industrial base amid rising global threats. But to win contracts at scale, young companies should view established defense primes as partners, not competitors, according to Red Cell's Veronica Daigle and Grace Newsom. In this Valentine's-themed essay published in Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Veronica and Grace explore what startups must consider to successfully partner with primes and help the U.S. win on tomorrow's battlefields. Read more: https://lnkd.in/etUsQ6Cy #nationsecurity #defensetech #defenseprime #defensestartup #dod

On the eve of our recent Annual General Meeting, portfolio company leaders took the opportunity to pitch their businesses and showcase their latest proprietary technology – from a cybersecurity threat intel feed to mitigate risks injected by AI coding assistants, to an integrated voltage regulator designed to make data centers more efficient. A heartfelt thank you to those who joined us in Coronado to meet our team, hear from our leaders, and learn about all that we’re building. 🚀 #AGM #coronado #redcellpartners #impactthroughinnovation

During our recent Annual General Meeting, we invited partners, investors, and team members to take part in an early morning U.S. Navy-inspired workout, hosted by Red Cell President and former Navy SEAL, David Silverman. As a mission-driven team delivering the innovative solutions aimed at addressing our Nation’s most pressing problems, we push ourselves to the limit each and every day – both in our work and in our workouts. 💪 #AGM #coronado #redcellpartners #impactthroughinnovation 

17 ELITE DC-BASED VCS 1) Red Cell Partners: venture studio that builds, launches, and scales tech companies in healthcare, cyber, and national security. Portcos: Zephyr AI, DEFCON AI, Valinor, Epirus. cc Grant Verstandig. 2) NQB8: incubation firm founded by Auren Hoffman 📚 from Flex Capital. Portcos of Flex: Chime, Gusto, Carta, Replit. 3) Construct Capital: early-stage venture investing in foundational industries. Portcos: Hadrian, Amca, Veho. cc Rachel Holt, Dayna Grayson. 4) AE Industrial Partners, LP: multi-stage private investments in aerospace. Portcos: Firefly Aerospace, Bigbear.ai. cc Beckett Jackson. 5) Columbia Capital: multi-stage private investments in digital infrastructure, enterprise technology, and mobility. Portcos: CloudSherpas, Cologix, Mesh-AI. cc 6) Lavrock Ventures: early-stage venture investing in enterprise software, cyber, and national security. Portcos: Castelion, ID.me. cc Alex Poulin. 7) Shorewind Capital: multi-stage private investments in frontier technology. Portcos: Fleetzero, Poolside, Synthesia. cc Jake Poliskin. 8) Washington Harbour Partners LP: private investments in enterprise tech and national security companies. Portcos: Northwood, Raft, Anduril Industries, APEX, UiPath, OpenAI. cc Patrick Foley. 9) Shield Capital: early-stage venture investing in AI, autonomy, cyber, and space. Portcos: HawkEye 360, Vannevar, Armada, Obviant. cc David Rothzeid. 10) Point72 Ventures: multi-stage venture investing in AI, enterprise software, and defense. Portcos: Apex, Adonis, Cape, Overland AI. cc Chris Morales. 11) Leonid Capital Partners: private credit for government contracts. Portcos: Zeno Power, N5 Sensors, Zero-G. cc Samuel MacGregor. 12) New Vista Capital: early-stage venture investing in frontier technologies. Portco: Chariot Defense, Castelion, Regent. cc Kirsten Bartok Touw. 13) Sands Capital: mid and growth-stage investing in AI, cyber, healthcare, defense. Portcos: Anduril, DataRobot, Ramp, Rippling. cc Chris Eng. 14) NextEra Energy, Inc. Ventures: venture and growth in cyber, energy, and data companies. cc Mitch Gainer. 15) Overture Ventures: early-stage venture investing in AI, energy, and industrial technologies for the national interest. Portcos: Blue Energy, Crux, Alta. cc Michael O'Neil. 16) The New Industrial Corporation: private investing and project development at the intersection of venture and infrastructure capital. cc Austin Bishop. 17) StepStone Group: early, growth, and secondary investing in tech and tech-enabled companies. Portcos: Chewy, Anduril, SpaceX, Cloudflare. cc Stephen West. There are a lot more investors locally than this - and I have more lists to share (stay tuned) - but please comment who I missed !