Why Eric Slesinger, a former CIA officer, is now funding European defense tech
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Show Notes
This week on StrictlyVC Download, Alex Gove speaks with Eric Slesinger from 201 Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on seed-stage defense tech startups in Europe. They discuss Eric's journey from CIA to investor and how he recognized the untapped potential in European defense tech while others were dismissive, and how he's working to overcome the cultural taboo that once made defense investments "bad manners" in European VC circles.
Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction and Eric's CIA background 04:17 - Why Europe for defense tech investments 06:32 - Changing European attitudes toward defense technology 09:00 - Ukraine as a testing ground for new technologies 11:24 - Launching 201 Ventures with NATO Innovation Fund 14:30 - Investment partnerships and sourcing strategies 18:07 - The Polar Mist story and maritime defense 20:15 - Gray zone dislocations and technology focus areas 22:59 - Evaluating government demand for new technologies 25:50 - Mission goals and the future of 201 Ventures 28:03 - Conclusion
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