Rephonic
Artwork for Crossing the Valley

Crossing the Valley

Frontdoor Defense
Department Of Defense
Defense Technology
National Security
U.S. Department Of Defense
Artificial Intelligence
Wirescreen
Arcane Thunder
Defense Industrial Base
US Department Of Defense
SOF Week
Vantor
Ukraine
China
Onshore Manufacturing
Military Logistics
Hypersonic Technology
Spacex
UAS
Manufacturing
NATO

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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes91Founded2 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
TechnologyGovernment

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Crossing the Valley

Latest Episodes

How Lux Aeterna Is Building a Market the Pentagon Didn’t Ask For

About Brian

Brian Taylor spent about fifteen years as a mechanical engineer before he ever sat in the founder’s chair. He came up through aviation and aerospace, then landed at SpaceX... more

YouTube

Background

Cyber operations have always lived in the shadows of the national security conversation. In the wake of the Department of War suspending CMMC Level 2 guidance, this episode unpacks the essential, high-stakes, and rarely understood world o... more

YouTube

About Ryan Westerdahl

Before starting Turion, Ryan spent nine years as an engineer at SpaceX, joining not long after the company’s sixth flight and working under Kevin Wu — an engineering leader Ryan credits as one of the best of his generation (now... more

YouTube

About Jackie Barbieri

Jackie is the founder and CEO of Whitespace. She began her career supporting the counter-IED mission during the surge in Iraq, working as a red-team analyst. She was a threat emulator who studied the tactics, ideology, and bomb... more

YouTube

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Brian Taylor
CEO and founder of Lux Aeterna
Lux Aeterna
Episode: Ep. 89: Lux Aeterna
Sam Jones
CEO, co-founder of Method Security
Method Security
Episode: Ep. 88 - Method Security
Ryan Westerdahl
CEO, Co-Founder of Turion Space
Turion Space
Episode: Ep. 87 - How Turion Space is Turning a Trillion-Dollar Vision Into a Fundable Company
Jackie Barbieri
CEO, founder of Whitespace
Whitespace
Episode: Ep. 86: In the Whitespace
Paige Craig
Founder and general partner of Outlander VC
Outlander VC
Episode: Ep. 85 - Building a first check partnership
Phil Duong
CEO and co-founder of Noda AI
Noda AI
Episode: Ep. 85 - Building a first check partnership
John Doyle
CEO and co-founder of Cape
Cape
Episode: Ep. 84 - Cape
Cameron McCord
CEO and Co-founder of Nominal
Nominal
Episode: Ep. 83 - Nominal
Ed Mehr
CEO, co-founder of Machina Labs
Machina Labs
Episode: Ep. 82 - Machina Labs

Host

Noah Sheinbaum
Host with deep involvement in defense-tech storytelling and startup-focused conversations.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#241
Canada/Technology

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Ep. 88 - Method Security
Q: How did you approach fundraising and early investor validation to maintain momentum?
We focused on building momentum in the market before formal fundraising, leveraged direct connections with strategic angels and Palantir alumni, and demonstrated early, functional prototypes. This approach reduced the typical fundraising drag and helped us secure a strong seed round quickly with a clear, credible business plan.
Ep. 88 - Method Security
Q: What drove the rapid decision to start the company after GPT-4 arrived, and how did you align the team?
The spark came from realizing a concrete way to apply self-directed autonomy to complex cybersecurity workflows, coupled with a shared conviction among the three co-founders. We acted quickly—within six hours—to bring Sean and Dan on board and formalize the startup with a seed round, leveraging our Palantir pedigree to accelerate trust and market entry.
Ep. 88 - Method Security
Q: Where did your interest in cyber come from, and how did your early experiences shape your path into the government market?
I grew up as a software-focused person with formal government exposure through internships and a clear entry point in Air Force cyber operations, which over time aligned with my passion for building software that protects national infrastructure, leading me to Palantir and later to founding Method Security.
Ep. 79 - Inside GrayMatter Robotics
Q: What does your delivery team look like to ensure rapid, reliable adoption across complex facilities?
We use eight layers of engineering—from industrial and solution engineering to digital twin sustainment—supported by forward deployed engineers and domain agents to tailor recipes, cell design, and orchestration for each site, ensuring high uptime and rapid issue resolution.
Ep. 79 - Inside GrayMatter Robotics
Q: How do you think of the human component of this equation when deploying autonomous systems in manufacturing?
The human element is about augmentation, not replacement. We aim to compose optimal teams of humans, robots, and AI to drive productivity on the same factory footprint, with ongoing updates that continuously improve outcomes.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Crossing the Valley

What is Crossing the Valley about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show focuses on how defense tech startups move from pilots to production and scale impact in government markets. Across episodes, the conversations highlight practical challenges like navigating SBIR timelines, procurement hurdles, and the shift from point solutions to integrated data and platform playbooks. Guests include founders and executives from Nominal, Machina Labs, GrayMatter Robotics, Havoc AI, SkyFi, Whoop, Overland AI, Forterra, GoTenna, and other defense-technology pioneers, offering real-world insights into fielding, partnerships with primes, and navigating regulatory and customer adoption dynamics. A standout theme is the emphasis on field readiness, dual-use strategies, and the importance of customer champions within go... more

Where can I find podcast stats for Crossing the Valley?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Crossing the Valley. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Crossing the Valley and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Crossing the Valley get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Crossing the Valley, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Crossing the Valley?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Crossing the Valley, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Crossing the Valley have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Crossing the Valley has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

How many episodes of Crossing the Valley are there?

Crossing the Valley launched 2 years ago and published 91 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Crossing the Valley?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Crossing the Valley?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Crossing the Valley from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Crossing the Valley?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Crossing the Valley. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Crossing the Valley?

Recent guests on Crossing the Valley include:

1. Brian Taylor
2. Sam Jones
3. Ryan Westerdahl
4. Jackie Barbieri
5. Paige Craig
6. Phil Duong
7. John Doyle
8. Cameron McCord

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days