8VC

8VC is not in the business of safe bets. Founded by Drew Oetting and a team of operators who came up through the defense and intelligence world, the firm made its name backing companies that defense and intelligence incumbents missed — and that most Silicon Valley VCs were too skeptical or too slow to act on.

The firm's portfolio reads like a catalog of the most consequential (and controversial) technology bets of the last decade: Palantir Technologies (data analytics platform now worth tens of billions, IPO 2020), Anduril Industries (reimagining military hardware with autonomous systems), Shield AI (autonomous drones for defense), and a slate of biosciences companies working at the intersection of AI and drug discovery.

With over $5.3 billion under management across multiple funds, 8VC has evolved from a tight-knit operator fund into one of the most thesis-driven large checks in venture. Their thesis is not abstract — it's grounded in a specific worldview: that the boundaries between commercial technology, government technology, and national security are collapsing, and that the companies building at that intersection will be among the most valuable and impactful of the next generation.

8VC writes checks from $1 million to well over $20 million across seed through growth stages. They are comfortable with concentrated positions — when they believe in a company, they go big. This is a fund for founders who are building something that sounds impossible but, if it works, reshapes an industry.

The firm's approach to due diligence is as rigorous as the technology they fund. They look for technical moats — proprietary data, unique sensor capabilities, novel algorithms — not just business model innovations. They want to understand why NOW is the right time for this technology, and why THIS founder is the only one who could execute it.

8VC's investment thesis is built on a specific observation: some of the most technically advanced and economically significant technology in the world is being built for defense, intelligence, and government applications — and most venture capital doesn't have the network, the expertise, or the stomach for it. The firms that do understand this world, and can operate in it, have access to a deal flow that the broader market systematically undervalues.

The portfolio reflects this thesis directly. Palantir built the data integration and analytics platform that became essential for intelligence agencies, the military, and eventually commercial enterprises. Anduril is rebuilding defense hardware from the ground up with autonomous systems, AI-driven targeting, and modular architecture — a radical departure from traditional defense contractors. Shield AI is doing for drone warfare what Palantir did for intelligence: building the AI brain that makes autonomous flight operationally viable.

8VC's biosciences thesis follows a similar pattern: companies building at the intersection of AI, machine learning, and drug discovery, where the technical moats are deep and the application areas are enormous. The firm has backed companies working on protein structure prediction, AI-driven clinical trials, and novel therapeutic platforms.

What 8VC looks for that most VCs miss: technical depth that creates genuine switching costs. Not "better UI" or "faster development" but proprietary data pipelines, unique sensor integrations, or algorithms trained on datasets that cannot be replicated. The defense and government world rewards technical moats in ways that commercial markets sometimes don't — because the consequences of failure are higher and the evaluation criteria are more rigorous.

The firm is explicit about wanting to partner with founders who understand that building for defense and national security is not just a market segment — it's a strategic position that creates compounding advantages over time. The relationships, the security clearances, the trust of the programs — these are assets that take years to build and cannot be bought by later entrants.

8VC evaluates opportunities based on technical moat depth, founder expertise, and the strategic timing of the opportunity. They are not interested in incremental improvements to existing defense contracting — they want to fund the companies that make existing approaches obsolete.

8VC has not slowed its investment pace in recent years, maintaining a consistent deployment strategy across its core thesis areas. The firm remains active in defense technology, AI infrastructure, and biosciences, with new investments reflecting the continued convergence of commercial AI and government applications.

The geopolitical environment has validated 8VC's core thesis in ways that were not predictable when the fund was founded. The importance of autonomous systems, AI-driven intelligence, and modern defense infrastructure has become a mainstream conversation — and 8VC has been among the earliest investors in this space.

Follow-on investment has been disciplined but consistent. 8VC has supported its winning portfolio companies through multiple rounds, maintaining concentrated positions rather than spreading capital across the portfolio. The firm's ability to write large checks for winners is one of its structural advantages.

Biosciences has become a more prominent part of recent activity, with the firm making meaningful investments in AI-driven drug discovery and therapeutic platforms. The thesis here mirrors the defense-tech approach: technical moats that take years to build, combined with large addressable markets.

8VC has also been active in the infrastructure layer of AI — companies building the tools, data pipelines, and deployment platforms that other AI companies depend on. This reflects a belief that as AI proliferates, the infrastructure bottlenecks become the highest-margin opportunities.

The firm's investment process remains thesis-driven and operator-informed. They do not move fast on deals that don't fit their framework, but when a company aligns with their conviction areas, they can move decisively.

Palantir Technologies is the firm's most famous investment and arguably the proof-of-concept for 8VC's entire thesis. Founded by Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and others, Palantir built the data integration and analytics platform that transformed how intelligence agencies, military branches, and eventually commercial enterprises understand and act on complex data. The company went public in 2020 and now commands a multi-billion dollar market cap. Palantir's success validated the thesis that government-tech is not a niche — it's a foundation.

Anduril Industries represents 8VC's conviction in the transformation of defense hardware. Founded by Palmer Luckey after his departure from Oculus, Anduril is building a new generation of autonomous weapons systems, AI-driven surveillance platforms, and modular defense infrastructure. The company has become one of the most significant defense-tech companies in the world, with contracts across multiple branches of the US military and allied governments.

Shield AI focuses on autonomous drone systems for defense applications. Their drone platform is designed to operate in contested environments where GPS and communication links are degraded or denied — exactly the scenarios that define modern warfare. The company's technology has direct applications in urban warfare, reconnaissance, and intelligence gathering.

Helios and other portfolio companies in the biosciences space reflect 8VC's investment in AI-driven drug discovery and therapeutic development. These companies are working on problems that require deep technical expertise and long time horizons — exactly the profile that 8VC is structured to support.

The common thread across 8VC's portfolio is technical depth combined with large, structured markets. These are not consumer apps or SaaS point solutions — they are foundational technology platforms that reshape how entire industries operate.

8VC provides portfolio companies with operational support beyond capital: government relationships, technical expertise, hiring networks, and strategic guidance on how to navigate the unique challenges of building for defense and national security.

8VC evaluates potential investments through a thesis lens that is different from most VCs. The primary question is not "is this a large market?" but "does this company have a technical moat that cannot be replicated, and is now the moment when that moat becomes operationally critical?" Technical moats in defense, government tech, and biosciences are not just about IP — they're about relationships, clearances, data access, and trust.

Founder background matters enormously to 8VC. The firm looks for founders who have direct, credible expertise in the domain they're building in. A founder who has spent time in defense procurement, who has operated autonomous systems in real environments, who has navigated FDA pathways for novel therapeutics — these are the signals that separate 8VC's best investments from the rest.

The timing of the opportunity is a key evaluation criterion. 8VC is not interested in markets that were ready five years ago or will be ready in ten years. They want to invest in companies building for the inflection point where the technology becomes operationally viable and the market need becomes acute.

Technical depth is non-negotiable. 8VC will scrutinize the specifics of your technical architecture, your data pipeline, your sensor integration, or your algorithm design. They have the expertise to evaluate these claims, and they will. Founders should come prepared to defend every technical assertion.

Competitive positioning is evaluated differently in defense and government tech than in commercial markets. The moats are different — security clearances, procurement relationships, classified data access — and 8VC understands how to evaluate whether a company's position is durable.

Path to scale is considered with a long time horizon. 8VC is comfortable with companies that will take ten years to reach their ceiling — as long as that ceiling is meaningful. They are not looking for quick exits; they are looking for category-defining companies.

The best way to get 8VC's attention is through their network of former and current operators. The firm is composed of people who have worked in defense, intelligence, and enterprise technology — their network is the primary channel for deal flow. If you have a connection to someone who has worked in this world, use it.

Warm introductions from founders in the defense-tech or government-tech ecosystem carry significant weight. 8VC's portfolio founders understand their thesis deeply and can make credible introductions to companies that fit the framework.

Cold outreach through traditional channels is less effective for 8VC. The firm's investment thesis is specific enough that generic pitch decks rarely convert. The most effective cold outreach is from founders who have done the work to understand exactly where their company fits in 8VC's thesis — and can articulate that alignment precisely.

When approaching 8VC, lead with your technical depth, not your market size. The firm is not impressed by TAM slides; they want to understand what makes your technical approach defensible, and why now is the moment when that approach becomes operationally critical.

8VC values directness. The firm is uncomfortable with excessive polish or generic pitch language. If you can explain your technical architecture, your key assumptions, and your development timeline clearly and specifically, you will stand out more than with a polished deck.

The due diligence process at 8VC is rigorous and domain-specific. Expect deep technical conversations, reference calls with operators and program managers who understand the domain, and a thorough review of your data architecture and technical moats. Prepare accordingly.

8VC invests in companies with long development timelines and complex revenue trajectories. Defense and government contracts have specific financial mechanics — milestone-based payments, classified revenue, extended sales cycles — that require specialized financial modeling.

Founders building for defense and national security should understand the specific financial profile of government contracting: how to model revenue from multi-year program awards, how to account for classified programs in financial statements, and how to structure the cap table for companies with government clearance requirements.

Working with a fractional CFO who understands government contracting and deep tech fundraising is a significant advantage. The financial infrastructure for a defense-tech company is meaningfully different from a commercial SaaS company, and investors like 8VC will scrutinize your assumptions accordingly.

8VC evaluates financial models not just for their projections but for the founder's understanding of the specific variables in their market. A defense-tech founder who cannot explain their milestone-based revenue model, their path to top-secret clearances, or their subcontracting structure will not impress 8VC.

Financial projections for deep tech and defense companies need to account for long development cycles, regulatory milestones, and the specific cost structures of building in these domains — not the standard SaaS metrics that work for consumer software.

Key metrics that 8VC specifically looks for include: government contract win rate, pipeline coverage ratios for federal opportunities, milestone achievement rates, and the ratio of classified to unclassified revenue. These are the indicators of a credible defense-tech business.

Whether you're building autonomous defense systems, AI-driven biosciences, or government data infrastructure, 8VC is one of the few VCs that actually understands what you're building and why it matters. Getting to them requires demonstrating technical depth, not just commercial potential — and being honest about the timeline and complexity of your development path. The founders who succeed with 8VC are the ones who don't oversell and don't over-promise.

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