Mastering Billion-Dollar Tech Investments & Galactic Defense 💸🛰️👾 featuring Preston Dunlap

Tough Tech Today with Meyen and Miller

Standing up a space force within the world’s largest bureaucracy is not for the faint of heart.
Preston Dunlap – former (and first) Chief Architect / Chief Technology Officer of the United States Air Force and Space Force and present CEO of Arkenstone Ventures – has developed a privileged view into the government machinations necessary to design, develop, and buy the right mix of tough tech capabilities. Mission-focused and multidisciplinary, Dunlap and the organizations in which he engaged at the most senior levels have commanded hundreds of billions of dollars in defense acquisitions.
A curious combination of computer scientist, operations researcher, and international relations practitioner, Dunlap walks us through his approach to investing vast amounts of capital into companies and organizations big and small. We also discuss what it is like working within the government, aligning and mobilizing tremendous human resources to solve some of the biggest challenges facing the United States… which may or may not include actual space invaders.
P.S. Tough Tech Today is now open to patron support, so we have launched a pay-if-you-can membership so you can help us bring Tough Tech Today to more folks!
🎧Listen: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1169378/13570194-architecting-the-space-force-with-preston-dunlap-of-arkenstone-ventures
🧠Relevant Links:

• Episode homepage: www.toughtechtoday.com/architecting-the-space-force/
• Preston Dunlap on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-dunlap/
• Preston's Documents list: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preston-dunlap/recent-activity/documents/

👏Credit Roll:
Producers: Jonathan 'JMill' Miller and Forrest Meyen
Guest: Preston Dunlap
Hosts: JMill and Forrest Meyen
Editing: JMill
Transcript: Alan Yan and JMill
Blog Author: JMill
Art Design: JMill (Space Force emblem credit to United States Space Force.)
🔖Topic Timecodes:
[2:08] What is Arkenstone Ventures?

[4:58] Most exciting technology areas

[7:47] Thoughts on government and VC investments in space

[14:02] New emerging phenomena, e.g. unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs)

[19:21] Bringing companies on board and helping them grow

[25:25] How starting Arkenstone was different than joining another company

[31:34] Biggest challenges as CTO of Air Force and Space Force

[37:39] Staying up to date and knowledgeable about many systems and sciences

[42:31] Does Preston spend time trying to predict the future of tech?

[46:08] Dealing with setbacks

[50:46] The name and ethos of Arkenstone Ventures

[53:04] Preston’s closing thoughts

📖Transcript:
Transcript is viewable here: https://otter.ai/u/orLilBYuMDszJkz8bsif89OoNMA

Chapters

1. Mastering Billion-Dollar Tech Investments & Galactic Defense 💸🛰️👾 featuring Preston Dunlap (00:00:00)

2. What is Arkenstone Ventures? (00:02:08)

3. Most exciting technology areas (00:04:58)

4. Thoughts on government and VC investments in space (00:07:47)

5. New emerging phenomena, e.g. unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs) (00:14:02)

6. Bringing companies on board and helping them grow (00:19:21)

7. How starting Arkenstone was different than joining another company (00:25:25)

8. Biggest challenges as CTO of Air Force and Space Force (00:31:34)

9. Staying up to date and knowledgeable about many systems and sciences (00:37:39)

10. Does Preston spend time trying to predict the future of tech? (00:42:31)

11. Dealing with setbacks (00:46:08)

12. The name and ethos of Arkenstone Ventures (00:50:46)

13. Preston’s closing thoughts (00:53:04)