Goat Rodeo

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett and Simon break down the SpaceX IPO, which debuted at $1.7 trillion and briefly cleared $2.1 trillion in market cap, and what it means for the next generation of capital-intensive defense tech companies. From there, Garrett walks through four defense VC trend lines: the shift from software toward hardware and heavy industrial capacity, the winner-take...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett, Simon, and Dave open with a victory lap — Garrett called ten days on the Iran ceasefire, and he wasn't wrong. The US has sunk two Iranian boats, the UN is evacuating thousands from the Strait, and the Senate has voted to end the conflict. The crew breaks down why the deadlock has no exit, and why the $35–60 billion war bill is a political grenade nob...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Simon Coon, and Dave Caudle — back from the cold — open on the Iran ceasefire and immediately ask the only question that matters: how long does it last? Garrett gives it ten days, Simon gives it thirty, and Dave splits the difference at thirty-one. The crew breaks down why the Islamabad MoU is full of diplomatic double-speak, why Israel's absen...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Simon Coon are joined by Susanne Hake, EVP and GM of US Government Programs at Vantor — formerly Maxar Intelligence, and a close partner of Reveal Technology. Susanne brings a career that spans the NSC, Booz Allen Hamilton, and Palantir, where she joined in 2013 long before defense tech was cool. The conversation opens on the state of the de...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon break down a massive week in defense tech. Anduril just raised $5 billion at a $61 billion valuation — and with 94% of all defense VC flowing into Series B and later rounds, the crew breaks down what it means now that the winners have been chosen. From there, Dave walks through Palantir's latest fight with the Defens...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon cover a packed week spanning government disclosure, a trillion-dollar missile defense debate, and a brewing fight over who owns the technology fielded to our warfighters. The conversation opens on President Trump's release of UFO and UAP files through the PURSUE program at war.gov — what's actually in the disclosure,...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon cover a packed week in defense venture, a debate about selling to Special Operations Forces, and a deep dive into the Army's historic budget request. The conversation opens on True Anomaly's $650 million Series D — bringing their valuation to $1.1 billion — and what the round signals about investor appetite for space...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Simon Coon cover a packed week at the intersection of defense policy, government funding, and venture capital. The conversation opens on a bombshell case — a US Army Special Forces soldier who allegedly used classified information about the Venezuela operation to place $33,000 in bets on Polymarket, netting over $400,000 in profits. The crew...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon are joined by retired US Army General Ross Coffman, former Commanding Deputy at Army Futures Command and a 35-year veteran of nearly every major American conflict and military transition of the last three decades. The conversation opens on the avant-garde French-Canadian band Angine de Poitrine and what their aggress...

This week on the Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon cover defense tech investment, the air war over Iran, and a spirited debate over what programs to cut from the federal budget. The conversation opens with Hermes's $350 million Series C and what it signals about a broader venture shift from software to hardware-centric defense platforms. They then cover U.S. aircraft losses ov...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Dave Caudle cover a mix of military optics, defense tech momentum, and developments in the Iran war. The conversation starts with the Apache helicopter flyover at Kid Rock’s property and the questions it raises about training, judgment, and public trust in the military. They then turn to a surge in defense tech funding, including major round...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Simon Coon, and Dave Caudle break down the latest developments in the Iran war and the growing conversation around potential U.S. ground involvement. The discussion focuses on recent force movements, including Marine Expeditionary Units and elements of the 82nd Airborne, and what those deployments are designed to signal and enable. They also ex...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith and Dave Caudle cover a mix of Washington dynamics, defense acquisition, and industry shifts. The conversation starts with the resignation of Joe Kent and what it reflects about internal disagreement and pressure inside the national security apparatus. They also touch on recent time on Capitol Hill and how members and staff are thinking about de...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett Smith, Dave Caudle, and Simon Coon dive into the intersection of the Iran war, artificial intelligence, and the politics of modern warfare. The conversation begins with the controversy surrounding a school strike in Iran and what it potentially reveals about AI-assisted targeting entering real combat operations. The crew explores how systems like Mave...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Dave Caudle and Simon Coon are joined by Chris Booth, a former CIA officer with more than two decades of experience working Middle East and Iran-related issues. The conversation focuses on the rapidly evolving conflict with Iran, including the decapitation of senior leadership, the uncertainty surrounding Tehran’s internal power structure, and what a potentia...

This Episode: Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Garrett sits down with Chris Naganuma for a frontline look at how the war has evolved and what it means going forward. They walk through the arc of the conflict, from the early days of trench assaults and artillery dominance to a battlefield now shaped by drones, jamming, and constant technological adaptation. The discussion c...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett, Simon, and Dave cover a wide-ranging set of defense and national security topics that all point back to one question: what happens when military capabilities, politics, and public space start colliding closer to home. The conversation moves from airport air defense and domestic security friction, to allies accelerating defense spending and industrial...

This Episode: The Goat Rodeo crew is joined by Chris Booth , who’s worn a lot of hats across a long national security career. He’s served as a Soldier, an attorney, a national security professional, and a writer and thinker, most recently retiring from the CIA. He brings a sharp, grounded perspective to a wide-ranging conversation on where power, money, and institutions are colliding right now. Th...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, the crew kicks things off with a quick review of BattleLab Episode 2 before jumping into a geopolitics trifecta covering Iran, Greenland, and the expiration of New START and what it signals for global nuclear policy. From there, the conversation shifts to defense modernization, including the new Drone Dominance program, Golden Dome, the role of DIU, and the S...

This Episode: This week, the Goat Rodeo crew digs into a fast-moving moment for U.S. defense and global security. They look into the latest government shutdown drama, why DHS funding has become the political choke point, and what a short shutdown actually means for defense programs, contracting officers, and acquisition timelines. From there, the conversation shifts to the newly released 2026 Nati...

This Episode: This week on Goat Rodeo, Garrett, Simon, and Dave cover a wide range of defense and national security topics, from Arctic posture and Greenland’s strategic relevance to renewed excitement around DIU and defense innovation. The conversation moves through Ukraine, where battlefield realities are colliding with venture-backed defense tech, and into broader questions about testing, matur...

This Episode: The Goat Rodeo crew breaks down the recent U.S. raid targeting Venezuelan leadership and what it signals about American power and priorities in the Western Hemisphere. They discuss why these actions matter beyond Venezuela, how they fit into broader great-power competition, and what they suggest about future U.S. posture closer to home. The conversation then shifts to defense acquisi...

This Episode: Garrett and Simon break down a busy week across defense, geopolitics, and venture capital. They cover the continued surge of mega-rounds in defense tech, why the market feels unusually frothy heading into 2026, and what these investment patterns signal for startups, primes, and buyers. On the geopolitical front, they discuss the recent U.S. strikes against Venezuelan cartel targets a...

This Episode: The Goat Rodeo crew is joined by Garrett Asta from Houlihan Lokey. The guys break down Steve Witkoff’s Ukraine peace plan, why Simon still sees no path to near-term peace, and a surprising cultural moment involving Limp Bizkit and Estonia. Then it’s onto the big stuff: major venture raises, billion-dollar outfits gearing up for IPOs, and what an incoming M&A wave could mean for v...

This Episode: The Goat Rodeo crew covers a packed week: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the White House, renewed momentum in U.S.-Saudi defense cooperation, and what expanding foreign military sales means for the defense industrial base. Dave walks through the Army’s major requirements and acquisitions restructure, where six general officers will control key capability portfolios...