Tech Command Investing

Tech Command Investing Episode 10: TEKEVER: 50,000 Combat ISR Hours Over Ukraine

In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Ricardo Mendes, CEO and Founder of TEKEVER. TEKEVER is Europe's leading provider of AI-driven autonomous systems; without their agile, vertically integrated model, critical intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities remain sluggish and vulnerable to rapidly evolving electronic warfare. This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of autonomous warfare forged in the crucible of Ukraine. We explore why static hardware is a "sitting duck" , and how TEKEVER turned over 50,000 combat flight hours into hundreds of rapid, frontline-driven design iterations. This isn't just about building better drones; it's about translating a software-engineering mindset into physical systems capable of surviving intense, GNSS-denied environments and executing complex, AI-assisted autonomous missions. For strategic investors, we dive into why the shift toward "intelligence-as-a-service" is inevitable, transforming drones from mere tactical assets into critical, sovereign data networks. We discuss TEKEVER's recent unicorn valuation, the massive £400 million "Project Overmatch" investment in UK manufacturing, and the vital dual-use transition from commercial maritime surveillance to high-stakes defence applications—from operating the ARX "Mothership" for drone swarms to venturing into orbit with France’s sovereign satellite programs. This episode features a deep dive into TEKEVER’s highly configurable fleet—the AR3, AR5, and ARX, and their ATLAS intelligence platform. We discuss how they fuse multi-sensor data in real-time , team unmanned swarms with manned fighter jets, and continuously adapt to the most demanding theaters on earth. 📚 Additional resources and books mentioned in this episode: Genesis by Henry Kissinger and Eric Schmidt The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz Figures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1m6Ta2EhNiyIW0LO-7k5mzPKY3Dr0vZsZ?usp=share_link 💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech, critical infrastructure, or advanced sovereign capabilities? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min

Tech Command Investing Episode 9: From Isolated Detection to Continental Intelligence

The foundation of physical security and global supply chains relies on one crucial element: material truth. Yet, the spectrometry industry responsible for measuring this truth is stuck in the 1980s, plagued by siloed devices, proprietary formats, and dangerous manual delays. The company that can network these fragmented sensors into a real-time, interoperable grid holds the key to global harm prevention and sovereign intelligence.In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Brad Elsbury, CEO and Founder of Unknown Labs. Unknown Labs is building the device-agnostic intelligence backbone for material identification; without their temporal data networks, critical material detection remains isolated, sluggish, and vulnerable.This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of material identification. We explore why data fragmentation is the real bottleneck in harm prevention, and how Unknown Labs turns isolated local scans—from counterfeit pharma in Africa to illicit narcotics in Europe—into continental alerts in seconds. This isn't just about faster software; it's about translating raw spectral data from competing hardware (FTIR, Raman, HPLC) into synchronized, actionable intelligence.For strategic investors, we dive into why this interoperability layer is inevitable, transforming spectrometry from a niche B2B hardware market into critical B2G infrastructure. We discuss the powerful network effects of compounding spectral data, what a realistic multi-country deployment looks like, and the critical dual-use applications for defense—from tracking chemical anomalies to mapping post-war environmental toxins and ensuring sovereign data control.This episode features a live demo of the Unknown Labs platform, showing how they monitor technical laboratories, seamlessly link reports from entirely different types of spectrometers, and use GPS prediction modelling to group hazardous toxins for disaster relief and post-conflict cleanup.📚 Additional resources and books mentioned in this episode:How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale CarnegieHumans of New York by Brandon StantonI Am the Untold Story of Success by Klyn ElsburyFigure: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/fxnist3betzz77tvyeo8w/ANWUXWyA7K4oxyPqRQ3wWHs?rlkey=e9c50gzkootbavob38o77rmwe&st=70n639zq&dl=0💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech, critical infrastructure, or advanced sovereign capabilities? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min

Tech Command Investing Episode 8: Thermal Eyes on Earth: constellr’s Mission to See What Others Can’t

💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech in space, defence or advanced comms? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min The world is transparent to light, but opaque to heat. We have eyes in space that can identify a factory or a tank, but we are often blind to whether that factory is running or if that tank is real. For the promise of a true "digital twin" of Earth to be realized, we must move beyond visual features and geometry to capture the missing link: the "activity layer". The company that can accurately monitor the planet’s temperature holds the key to unlocking water security, industrial productivity, and the next generation of unhideable defence intelligence. In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Dr. Max Gulde, co-founder and CEO of constellr. constellr is building a global network of thermal infrared satellites designed to measure the Earth's surface temperature with unprecedented precision. This isn't just about hot and cold; it is about translating thermal physics into actionable economic and defence intelligence. This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of thermal-from-orbit. We explore why temperature is the "master variable" for resilience—from detecting water stress in crops before they turn brown, to monitoring industrial output in real-time. For strategic investors, we dive into the unit economics of the "Spotify model" for space data, breaking the old paradigm of buying entire "albums" of imagery to access a single insight. We discuss the critical dual-use applications for defense, where thermal imagery pierces through camouflage that fools visual sensors—distinguishing between a cold inflatable decoy and a warm, running engine. From ensuring sovereign food security in Saudi Arabia to mapping the potential $1 trillion economic loss caused by urban heat islands, this episode reveals the invisible engine of the global economy. This episode features a deep dive into the constellr platform, showing how they track patterns of life, detect underground infrastructure changes, and optimise urban cooling strategies in real-time. Figures: Figures: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0jwehssiregg2mrza8uh7/AAglpUglb43k1GFpsf-P8yk?rlkey=3mzmadpqt9py9s5n695or6448&st=10yp6441&dl=0

Tech Command Investing Episode 7: The Optical Highway to Earth

The next internet revolution is being built in space, but its greatest vulnerability is right here on Earth: the air we breathe. For the multi-trillion-dollar promise of laser-based satellite internet to work, operators must first solve the problem of clouds and atmospheric turbulence. The company that can reliably forecast the sky holds the key to unlocking global, high-capacity connectivity. In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Jean-Edouard Communal, co-founder and CEO of Miratlas. Miratlas is building the invisible foundation for optical communications; without their atmospheric data and forecasts, laser satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) simply cannot connect reliably to the ground. This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of optical-to-orbit comms. We explore why the ground, not the satellite, is the real bottleneck and how Miratlas's network of "Sky Monitors" provides the data-as-a-service needed to make it work. This isn't just about weather; it's about translating atmospheric physics into actionable link budgets and operational revenue. For strategic investors, we dive into why optical connectivity is inevitable, moving satellite comms from a niche RF market to a core part of the multi-trillion-dollar global telecom industry. We discuss the "chicken-and-egg" problem of ground infrastructure, what a realistic Phase 1 network looks like, and the critical dual-use applications for defense, from stealthy, unjammable comms to ensuring sovereign control of data. This episode features a live demo of the Miratlas platform, showing how they map global cloud cover and turbulence to find the optimal locations for ground stations, balancing atmospheric conditions with existing fiber infrastructure. 📊 Watch the live platform demo from this episode in our show notes. 📚 Additional resources and books mentioned in this episode: How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil Figures: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2uq3717e1u5j1t9gtcmye/AAQxE1akNlk0NZlbNEPj6Fs?rlkey=i03ncqwcyyr89dknvm5jg7f83&st=j8qt8250&dl=0 [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/2uq3717e1u5j1t9gtcmye/AAQxE1akNlk0NZlbNEPj6Fs?rlkey=i03ncqwcyyr89dknvm5jg7f83&st=j8qt8250&dl=0] 💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech in space, defence or advanced comms? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min [https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min]

Cognitive Combat: Securing Minds in the Age of AI

The new frontline of warfare isn’t on the ground—it’s in the narrative. In a world saturated with information, the most potent weapon is the ability to shape perception, poison data, and undermine reality itself. From election interference to military strategy, the fight against coordinated disinformation is becoming one of the most critical security challenges of our time.In this episode of Tech Command Investing, host Alain Gavin is joined by Ksenia Iliuk founder and CEO of Let's Data, a pioneering startup at the intersection of AI and national security. Drawing from her personal experience on the frontlines of Russia’s decades-long information war in Ukraine, Ksenia reveals why the West is still struggling to grasp the nature of the threat.Ksenia argues that we must stop treating disinformation as a content problem about "fake news" and recognize it for what it is: a security and defense operation. This isn't about freedom of speech; it's about identifying the crime. This conversation unpacks the new operational realities of this unseen war, from detecting military intent before kinetic operations begin to the emerging threat of AI model poisoning. We explore how hostile actors are weaponizing large language models and how Let's Data uncovered a sophisticated malware campaign impersonating OpenAI—a blind spot for even the most advanced tech companies.For strategic investors, we dive into the emerging market of disinformation security, what product-market fit looks like, and the distinct needs of commercial versus defense clients. With case studies on everything from the Romanian presidential election to the battlefields of Ukraine, this episode provides a playbook for understanding and countering the forces that seek to control our digital reality. 📊 Explore key figures and case studies from this episode:https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cikylor3zx9moccrojv4n/AAaKR84562irfejPxuzrhOk?rlkey=3gk0lwpczttc97of862evcoo4&st=6w99hvpz&dl=0 [https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cikylor3zx9moccrojv4n/AAaKR84562irfejPxuzrhOk?rlkey=3gk0lwpczttc97of862evcoo4&st=6w99hvpz&dl=0] 📚 Additional resources and books mentioned in this episode:Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare by Thomas Rid This is Not Propaganda by Peter Pomerantsev Cyber War by Richard A. Clarke Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari 💼 Are you a strategic investor exploring dual-use tech in space, defence or advanced comms? Let’s connect. Book a 1:1 here: 🔗 https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min [https://calendly.com/podcast-psion/30min]🎧 Tune in to understand why disinformation security is the new, essential sovereign capability for the 21st century.