
Few companies make it from pilot to production in the defense market. Those who do often change the industry in the process. How do they do it? What lessons can startups take from their trials, successes, and failures? Crossing the Valley tells the stories of the trailblazers who are forging a new path for America's defense. www.valleycrossers.com
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 85 | Founded | 2 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | GovernmentTechnology | |||

How Nominal Turned the Pentagon’s Slowest Gate Into a Growth Engine
Featuring Cameron McCord, CEO and co-founder of Nominal
About Cameron
Cameron McCord has seen the defense ecosystem from more seats than most. He started his career as a young sub... more
How Machina Labs Compressed 4-Year Lead Times Into 1 Week
About Ed Mehr
Ed Mehr is the CEO and co-founder of Machina Labs. A builder since childhood (he attended a school that emphasized welding, carpentry, and craft) Ed started his career in softw... more
Rebuilding America’s Thermal Imaging Supply Chain
About John Hong and Tallis Chang
John Hong is CEO and Tallis Chang is COO of Obsidian Sensors. The two have worked together for over 40 years, with backgrounds in aerospace before joining Qualcomm. ... more
About Brian Spurlock
Brian Spurlock is VP of Growth and Strategy at Persistent Systems, and a self-described “boomerang” employee, meaning he’s had two separate tenures at the company. He came up as a Special Operations acquisitions officer at Fort ... more
Building the Physical AI Platform for the Industrial Base
ABOUT ARIYAN KABIR
Ariyan Kabir is the co-founder and CEO of GrayMatter Robotics. He started the company in early 2020 alongside two co-founders, building on PhD research conducted at USC’s ... more
About Ben
Ben Cipperley spent 26 years in the Navy. The first 18 he served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal office, with three tours across the Indo-Pacific, three years between Iraq and Afghanistan, and command in Guam. Which is to say, he has mor... more
About Luke Fischer
Luke Fischer is the CEO and co-founder of SkyFi. He is a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot and Special Operations veteran who transitioned through DIU (Defense Innovation Unit), Uber Elevate (as Head of Flight Operations), and Job... more
About Todd Stiefler
Todd Stiefler is VP of Enterprise at WHOOP, overseeing the company’s B2B and B2G business lines. He brings an unusually cross-functional background to the role: a decade as a Senate defense staffer focused on missile defense and ... more
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This show consistently covers defense-tech entrepreneurship, with episodes exploring how startups move from concept to production in government markets. Frequent topics include field testing, interoperability, defense procurement, and the human and organizational dynamics behind rapid productization for warfighters. Notable throughlines include rapid M&A or partnerships to scale capabilities, the role of field operations and regulatory navigation, and the balance between commercial tech roots and mission-focused government work. The format frequently features founder/exec guests who share hard-wought lessons, practical execution playbooks, and candid reflections on the ethics and safety of warfighting technology. Listeners are likely drawn ... more
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4. Net Assessment
5. Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy
Crossing the Valley launched 2 years ago and published 85 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
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Recent guests on Crossing the Valley include:
1. Ariyan Kabir
2. Ben Cipperley
3. Luke Fischer
4. Todd Stiefler
5. Byron Boots
6. Ari Schuler
7. Josh Araujo
8. AJ Piplica
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