Allied Industrial Partners’ Post

Excellent article by JC Glick shedding light on the potential challenges transitioning Rangers may encounter. It emphasizes the invaluable values they offer to any organization: mission, teamwork, adaptability, and trust. #Veterans #Transitioning #LeadershipValues

How Bridger Aerospace turned wildfire crises into growth opportunities. Ever wondered how a company thrives in tough times? Let’s break it down. In Q2 2024, Bridger Aerospace faced a surge in wildfires across the Western U.S. ↓ Full Fleet Deployment: Our fleet was fully engaged as wildfire activity skyrocketed. ↓ Record-Breaking Task Orders: Our aircraft were committed for the longest deployment on record. ↓ Strategic Acquisition: Acquiring FMS Aerospace enhanced our capabilities and year-round revenue. Revenue hit $13 million in Q2 2024. This is a 12% increase from the previous year. Costs dropped despite fewer flight hours. This was a significant win! What’s next? ↳ We aim for growth. ↳ International expansion. ↳ Remaining steadfast in our mission to protect communities. Kudos to our aircrews and support teams making it happen. For those in personal finance, this showcases the power of agility and strategic planning. Observing how companies manage in crisis offers invaluable insights. Feeling inspired? Share your thoughts!

Anduril Industries has closed a $1.5 billion Series F round, valuing the defense #technology company at $14 billion. The new $14 billion valuation is an increase from the $8.5 billion valuation it received following a $1.5 billion Series E in 2022. This latest round was co-led by Founders Fund an Sands Capital, and includes new investors Fidelity Management & Research Company, Counterpoint Global, and Baillie Gifford. Anduril Industries has raised more than $3.7 billion to date.

At SoldierStrong, we know that military experience translates to success for veterans but reentering the workforce can often present challenges. Learn more about programs and initiatives focused on veteran recruiting and retention in the workplace. https://lnkd.in/gGGYRQfy

#PuertoRicoProgresa 🇵🇷 Lockheed Martin Doubles Down on Aguadilla with $1.3M Investment #DefenseContractor #LockheedMartin is growing its local presence by investing $1.3M to create 255 high-tech #jobs🌱. Building on a 2016 investment of $700K, this #expansion is more #economicopportunity for our community. 💸 As the #aerospace industry evolves with #innovation, PR ensures its #competitiveness on a global stage. #SkilledTalent What's next? Companies invest in #RND and workforce here as a vote of confidence in our #futurepotential 🚀 We must keep fostering an environment where businesses feel empowered to take #risks and succeed. 💪 Our #location and #workforce are assets. But true progress depends on #partnerships across sectors. 🤝 How can you help companies that are all-in on #PuertoRico further drive #growth? 💭"

A few weeks ago the New York Times reported on vets moving into defense VC. The subtext implied a "get rich by leveraging government connections" theme. Why would a veteran move to defense venture capital? Is it just another revolving door, similar to the transition many senior military officers make to the Primes? Is it a way to make a quick buck and cash in on military service? Or is it something different? I can only speak for myself – and so I will. All things being equal, I wish I didn’t need to focus on defense tech. I’d much rather fund things that build and grow society rather than destroy it. I dream of new education models, a thriving space economy, the next generation of power production. I’d prefer dollars flow to plowshares over swords. (Fortunately, at Cubit, I can indulge in this a bit). All things, however, are not equal.   Society can flourish because a shield against outside forces seeking to destroy our way of life exists. This shield requires a military. People win wars, not technology. But technology helps – the more advanced the better. When I left active duty in 2015, I was deeply jaded. The innovation groups I built were attacked by antibodies in the bureaucracy, creativity was squashed, wars were in the process of being lost. I'd lost the idealism of the boy who dreamed of being Admiral Nimitz. On the outside, I tried to reinvent myself - I was determined to prove myself in a different industry. Energy. Railroads. Manufacturing. Education. I became miserable and burned out. I wandered for seven years in the desert, aimless and pensive. In retrospect, it was not long hours that drove this. It was spending time working on things that lacked purpose and meaning for me. My subconscious continually went back to the military. My thoughts were consumed with the catastrophe that awaited us if we didn’t get our procurement and tech development act together. By God's grace, I stumbled upon Cubit – and the opportunity to get back to my first love. Passion and a lifetime of immersion found common cause. There is a chance that there is a large financial windfall from this work. But as those of us in the industry know, it’s a small chance. Defense tech is a terrible industry. It’s capital intensive, competitive, has long lead times and a customer that has very different incentives. There are few precedents for liquidity events – and even the best technologies are overshadowed by the traditional players. I'm back, however, because it matters. There is meaning and purpose in protecting those who protect us. Providing the backstop for the "building" parts of our society to accelerate without worry of external threats. Perhaps other veterans have ski trips in Aspen on the mind – but the community I’ve experienced echoes the same collaborative and purposeful mission as that of my first deployment. Just in a different form. 

Reaction Engines' recent announcement to hire advisers to raise capital for their flagship Skylon and SABRE projects after three decades and substantial funding raises a critical question: Is this long time loss making business sustainable? While the company emphasizes a shift towards sustainability, one cannot ignore the unmet promises and the vast resources invested in this company...also at UK taxpayers expense. The aerospace industry thrives on innovation, but it also demands PROFITS. It's crucial to acknowledge the dedication and technical prowess of the Reaction Engines team, yet the inability to materialize these projects raises concerns about the feasibility of their initial vision. This new capital raise, while potentially opening new avenues, also underscores the challenges inherent in pushing technological boundaries. It serves as a stark reminder that even with substantial backing and brilliant minds, transforming ambitious concepts into reality is fraught with complexities. The aerospace community will undoubtedly be watching Reaction Engines' next steps closely. Will their new capital raise attempt yield tangible outcomes, or will it be another chapter in a story of unfulfilled potential and unmet promises? #ReactionEngines #Skylon #SABRE #AerospaceInnovation Rolls-Royce BAE Systems

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…”  - Teddy Roosevelt (“Man in the Arena”) I used to recite Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena'' before briefing training flights. The unexpected recitation engaged the audience and broke up what would otherwise be a routine discussion. Then three years ago I departed the Navy pattern and retired my flight suit. As an active duty service member, I thought of the transition out of the cockpit (and the Navy) as a discrete event. I was wrong. Veterans understand what it’s like to be in the arena, but a shift in context during the transition out of the service can make them feel like “the critic” instead of a doer of deeds. I felt this way too. Loss of identity, camaraderie, and focus made my first years in the real world difficult. I’d give my transition a “two below”. Things I would have done: 1. Develop a transition backup plan 2. Start networking with veterans already in the private sector earlier (2+ years pre-transition) 3. Start networking with non-veterans in the private sector earlier 4. Stay more engaged with friends still on active duty 5. Give myself more time to adjust to the world outside of the Navy (be patient) 6. Keep the long look Like many others, my transition took time and effort. I eventually found that entrepreneurship (specifically, launching a search fund) delivered many of the challenges I missed in the Navy. I still feel nostalgia for MIDRATS, Roll ‘ems, LSOs whispering "easy with it" at the ramp, and cloud surfing on a Friday morning flight, but the pang I feel watching a section of hornets takeoff is less acute now. It took nearly three years, but I finally understand that I’m not becoming a “cold and timid soul who neither knows victory nor defeat". I’m just doing different things in a different arena. I'm always happy to chat with current and former service members about the transition, entrepreneurship through acquisition/search funds, or flying airplanes. Let me know if I can help.

We as a society use assessment of functional performance or mobility to make decisions that significantly impact peoples lives everyday. Whether our friend or family member is able to return home from the hospital or go back to work after an illness or injury, whether our athletes are performing at their peak, and also whether our troops are properly trained and mission ready. With our technology and sophisticated data analytics capabilities we are improving the depth of understanding of human performance and supporting the development of: healthy citizens, top performing athletes and mission ready soldiers. https://lnkd.in/e_f7SS6a #stepscan #mobilitymatters #humanperformance

Today's interview is out with Jeffrey Hart, Partner at AE Industrial Partners, LP. Jeff and the AE Industrial Partners team are at the center of the Aerospace & Defense world and have made investments into some of the most important Aerospace companies of the last decade - Sierra Space, York Space Systems, Redwire, and many others. Jeff has taken multiple companies public including Redwire and BigBear.ai. In today's interview we discuss - - The #1 thing that helped Jeff the most in his career - The PE playbook and how they take a 7-10 year vision and execute within 3 years - Most common critical failures of a CEO - The SPAC craze and what went wrong - What to look for in an investment and the future of Aerospace & Defense companies in the public market Full interview below! #PE #investing #aerospace #venturecapital #defenseindustry #theexecutive