Venrock investor and U.S. Navy Reservist, Morgan Hitzig, breaks down the U.S. defence‑tech landscape from a top‑tier VC perspective. We cover re‑industrialisation, public safety tech, and a survivability‑first lens for dual‑use capability. Morgan shares operator lessons from Dataminr, practical guidance on selling into government, and red flags for ‘innovation theatre.’ Founders will take away a playbook for mapping the human terrain (end users and budget owners), choosing the right prime partnerships, and focusing on real problems with budgeted demand. A sharp look at how Aussie startups can earn their place in the U.S. market — and where BZV and Venrock can collaborate across AUKUS.

Guest Links:

• LinkedIn: Morgan Hitzig - Venrock
• Organisation: Venrock – https://www.venrock.com/

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Website: https://beatenzone.vc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos

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Hosts & Cohosts:

• Peta Ellis – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis
• Sean Singleton – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/
• Jake Bostock – LinkedIn: [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake123456789/]

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Space is now a live attack surface. Zendir’s Chris Capon explains how digital twins and persistent rehearsal environments prepare warfighters for space‑cyber integrated missions. We walk through the training → rehearsal → operations loop, real‑world scenarios (reaction‑wheel hacks, solar‑array spoofing, ground‑station backdoors), and the road to autonomous constellations. From federated learning at LEO to software‑defined satellites and AUKUS Pillar II ‘decision advantage,’ this is a masterclass on readiness, speed, and secure data in space operations.

Guest Links:

• LinkedIn: Chris Capon https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-capon/
• Organisation: Zendir – https://zendir.io/

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Find out more:

Website: https://beatenzone.vc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos

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Hosts & Cohosts:

• Peta Ellis – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis
• Sean Singleton – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/
• Jake Bostock – LinkedIn: [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake123456789/]

Produced By The Podcast Boss

From Army service to venture, Jake shares the human side of capability building. He unpacks his transition out of uniform, the hard‑won lessons from prototyping a training grenade inside Defence, and why that experience reshaped his view of how founders must engage as end‑users first. We talk common pitfalls when pitching to the Army, the role of trust and culture, and where sovereign capability matters most in the next decade. A reflective close on fatherhood, mateship, and what it means to work on technology that keeps people safe.

Guest Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake123456789/
• Organisation: Beaten Zone Ventures – https://beatenzone.vc

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Find out more:

Website: https://beatenzone.vc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos

Spotify: [Add profile link]

Hosts & Cohosts:

• Peta Ellis – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis
• Sean Singleton – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/

• Jake Bostock – LinkedIn: [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake123456789/]

Produced By The Podcast Boss

In this episode, the founding partners of Marque Ventures share how a veteran-led venture capital firm is backing defence, space, and critical technologies across the U.S. and allied markets. We unpack their dual-use investment thesis, lessons from collaborating with ManTech, and how active duty, Guard, and Reserve experience informs their approach to scaling companies. The team offers sharp insights on avoiding “innovation theatre,” building the right relationships early, and what international founders often misunderstand about breaking into the U.S. market. A candid conversation on bridging capability gaps, accelerating adoption, and strengthening cross-border AUKUS partnerships.

Guest Links:

• Marque Ventures Website
• Jake Chapman – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakechapman/
• Tip Myers –h ttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tip-myers

Produced by The Podcast Boss

Founder and lead investor at Beaten Zone Ventures, Steve Baxter sets the tone for the series: why BZV exists, what we invest in, and how ‘lethality and survivability’ guides our early‑stage defence thesis. We cover the state of the fund, portfolio highlights (HEO, Arkeus, Zendir, Zeromark, Tiberius), and why hackathons and events like Breach Point matter for capability. Steve shares pragmatic advice for Australian founders navigating the U.S., thoughts on real versus performative innovation, and the importance of building products warfighters will actually use. Clear, direct, and grounded — this is the mission brief for The Briefing Room.

Guest Links:

• LinkedIn: [Add Steve Baxter link]
• Organisation: Beaten Zone Ventures – https://beatenzone.vc

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Find out more:

Website: https://beatenzone.vc

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos

Spotify: [Add profile link]

Hosts & Cohosts:

• Peta Ellis – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis
• Sean Singleton – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/
• Jake Bostock – LinkedIn: [ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake123456789/]

Produced By The Podcast Boss