In The Arena

Reasoning agents have quietly crossed a threshold. In just the past few months, models gained the ability to choose and chain tools, turning them from text summarizers into systems that can actually reason, act, and adapt. For defense missions, that shift is enormous. Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg explains why the o1 –> o3 leap changed everything, how a task that once required 40 analysts a month...

Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg walks through his founder journey, from the first days to a $1.5B valuation. We cover his lessons learned and key decisions he made along the way: why Vannevar is not dual-use, how to think about defense TAM, why you should reference-check your investors, and building credibility in the early days. Finally, Brett explains what shifts once you do raise venture capital –...

Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg explains the ideology behind one of our core operating principles: “Leave your ego at the door." Brett breaks down the difference between confidence and ego, and why “nice guys don’t close big deals” is lazy thinking that hurts mission outcomes. We get practical: how to hire high-agency people, how to spot toxic ego in interviews, when a strong personality becomes net-n...

How do companies know which products to build? What are traits of a 10X product leader? Should national security startups pursue a portfolio of bets or take a couple concentrated big swings? What does it look like to balance buyer vs. customer demand in defense? In this episode, CEO Brett Granberg shares how Vannevar has navigated these questions while making strategic product bets. We explore Van...

In this episode, learn how defense companies can close deals faster and build better products by getting business development and engineering on the same page. Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg explains why engineers should be in the room early, how forward deployed engineers shape both products and customer trust, and why time on-site with users drives the best results. Brett and Hayley also discuss av...

In this episode of In the Arena , Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg breaks down the shift from building software-only tools to integrated hardware-software systems. He shares why defense startups need to deliver complete systems (as opposed to just components), how hardware forces a different pace of iteration, and why real-world deployments – failures and all – are the only way to validate products. We...

In the first episode of In the Arena, Vannevar CEO Brett Granberg discusses what it really means to build technology for the national security mission. They discuss Brett’s personal path from consulting into defense, what led him to co-found Vannevar, and why working in public service can be both meaningful and urgent. The conversation explores: Why commercial tech doesn't always translate to defe...