Venture capital has powered companies like Facebook and TikTok—but what if that same urgency fueled America’s defense and industrial base? Katherine Boyle, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz and cofounder of the firm’s American Dynamism practice, argues this is the biggest business opportunity of our time.

In this conversation from The Shawn Ryan Show, Boyle discusses the rise of defense tech startups, why optimism drives her work, and how a new generation of engineers and founders is rethinking innovation and patriotism in America.

Timecodes:

0:00 Introduction

0:41 Patriotism, Optimism, and American Innovation

4:27 Startups vs. Legacy Primes in Defense

10:08 Venture Capital’s Unique Incentives

17:21 Katherine’s Backstory: Family & Upbringing

21:07 The Decline of Community & Family Pillars

23:23 Polarization, Religion, and Social Fabric

26:16 America’s Birth Rate Crisis

29:46 Cultural Shifts and the Family Structure

42:01 Katherine’s Path: Journalism to Venture Capital

1:06:06 Breaking into Silicon Valley

1:18:06 Investing in Defense: The Anduril Story

1:37:37 The American Dynamism Movement

2:04:27 Manufacturing, Space, and the Future of Defense

2:14:06 Espionage, China, and National Security

2:37:38 The Attack on the American Family

2:48:29 Cultural Change, Suffering, and Purpose

2:55:30 Closing Thoughts

Resources:

Find Katherine on X: https://x.com/KTmBoyle

Shawn Ryan Show Links

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkoujZQZatbqy4KGcgjpVxQ/join

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-ryan-show/id1492492083

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5eodRZd3qR9VT1ip1wI7xQ?si=7abec4d61c324b24

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

In this interview from the 20VC podcast, Martin Casado (a16z General Partner) joins Harry Stebbings to unpack the state of AI, the rise of coding models, the future of open vs. closed source, and how value is shifting across the stack.

Martin offers a candid view of the opportunities and dangers shaping AI and venture capital today.

Resources:

Find Martin on X: https://x.com/martin_casado

Find Harry on X: https://x.com/harrystebbings

More about 20VC:

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@20VC

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https://open.spotify.com/show/3j2KMcZTtgTNBKwtZBMHvl?si=85bc9196860e4466&nd=1&dlsi=d1dbbc6a0d7c4408

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twenty-minute-vc-20vc-venture-capital-startup/id958230465

Visit their Website: https://www.20vc.com

Subscribe to their Newsletter: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/

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Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.

What are real consumers actually doing with AI today?

In this episode, a16z consumer investors Olivia Moore and Justine Moore break down the fifth edition of our Consumer AI 100, a biannual ranking of the most used AI-native web and mobile products across the globe.

Timecodes:

0:00 Introduction

1:45 New Companies & Trends

3:32 Companionship & Creative Tools

4:20 Big Tech on the List: Google’s Impact

6:24 Chinese AI Companies & Global Trends

10:19 Vibecoding: A New Trend

13:40 AI All-Stars: Consistent Top Performers

15:30 Network Effects & Product Experience

17:20 Enterprise Adoption & Prosumer Growth

19:40 Biggest Takeaways

21:09 Grok's debut

22:56 Future predictions

25:14 Closing & Audience Engagement

Resources:

Read more about the Top Gen 100: http://a16z.com/100-gen-ai-apps-5/

Find Olivia on X: https://x.com/omooretweets

Find Justine on X: https://x.com/venturetwins

Stay Updated:

Let us know what you think: https://ratethispodcast.com/a16z

Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z

Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z

Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/

Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.