SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2026|No. 1933
Venture Capital · Defense Tech

Defense Tech Investment Surges but Many Startups May Fail to Scale

A flood of venture capital into defense tech is fueling high valuations for companies like Anduril and Mach Industries, but investors warn many startups will struggle to transition from prototypes to production.

Ross Fubini, who wrote Anduril's first check, discusses the defense tech landscape on TechCrunch's Equity podcast.
Ross Fubini, who wrote Anduril's first check, discusses the defense tech landscape on TechCrunch's Equity podcast.
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Defense tech is flooded with money, but who’s built to last?

Theresa Loconsolo

1:51 PM PDT · June 3, 2026

Defense tech is red hot right now. Anduril and Mach Industries just doubled and quadrupled their valuations, respectively, and the U.S. government is proposing a 40% increase in defense budget. A wave of new startups is chasing those government contracts, but according to Ross Fubini, the venture investor who wrote Anduril’s first check, most of them will get lost in the Valley of Death between prototype contract and real production deal.

Watch as, on this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Rebecca Bellan asks Fubini — the founder and managing partner of XYZ Venture Capital, built on the Palantir alumni network and now approaching $2B AUM — what separates the survivors from the rest.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

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