Trae Stephens on venture capital
From Andruil co-founder Trae Stephens Talks Innovating in an Age of War | Bloomberg Talks · · Bloomberg Podcasts
“We have created a ton of friction in the process of getting a deal through because we have no standing meetings. And so, if you want an investment to be made, you have to go and wrangle all of the other people that are required to get that deal done. And any one person can basically torpedo a deal. And so, you have to go charging in as hard as you can with really high conviction. And what that means is that we make as a fund significantly fewer investments by number, not by dollar amount, than any other venture fund of our size, but we're highly highly concentrated into the bets in the fund.”
On , Trae Stephens, Cofounder at Anduril Industries, spoke about venture capital during Andruil co-founder Trae Stephens Talks Innovating in an Age of War | Bloomberg Talks on Bloomberg Podcasts.
About Trae Stephens
Trae Stephens, co-founder and executive chairman of Anduril Industries and a partner at Founders Fund, discussed defense technology and investment strategy in several recent interviews. At Bloomberg Tech 2026, Stephens said Anduril's goal is to introduce software and autonomy to reduce the cost of engaging with modern threats, describing an economic imbalance in which a $3 million cruise missile is used against a $200,000 weapon. He stated that Anduril's Arsenal One facility in Ohio is producing the Fury autonomous fighter aircraft, with Barracuda cruise missiles and Roadrunner interceptor missiles expected to begin production later in 2026. Stephens said additional factories, both domestic and international, are planned. On the topic of U.S. allies, he said it is important for U.S. foreign policy to provide capabilities to allies so they can defend themselves using U.S. production. In separate interviews, Stephens discussed his investment philosophy at Founders Fund, saying the firm creates "a ton of friction" in deal-making by requiring high conviction and allowing any one partner to block an investment. He said the fund makes significantly fewer investments by number than others of its size, with about 40% of each fund concentrated in a few companies. Stephens also spoke about his Christian faith and his view that defense work is about creating conditions for peace, stating that he wants his children to grow up without fearing for their personal safety. He described the September 11 attacks as a moment that led him to pursue national security work.