Please introduce your company and describe your role within the organization.
Backswing Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on defense technology and national security. We invest in founders building mission-critical companies — drone systems and munitions to autonomy, critical infrastructure, and other mission-critical technologies. As Founder and Managing Partner, I lead fund strategy, investor relations, and portfolio oversight. I founded the firm in 2020 because I believed there was a fundamentally better way to run a venture capital fund that is grounded in disciplined execution and has a singular focus on returning capital to its investors. The name “Backswing” comes from my love of golf, but the philosophy it represents — patience, preparation, and precision — drives everything we do.
What is your company’s core business model – do you use an in-house team, third-party vendors, or a hybrid outsourcing approach?
Backswing Ventures operates as a lean, in-house team by design. Our small, focused team structure allows for speed, selectivity, and high-conviction decision-making across the portfolio. We are not a platform firm trying to do everything. We are a focused fund with a narrow mandate and a tight-knit team and that intentionality is part of our edge.
How does your company differentiate itself from competitors in a crowded market?
Most venture capital firms approach defense technology as a side thesis or a trendy allocation. We’ve built our entire firm around it. We invest selectively in defense, national security, and dual-use technologies, and we bring real conviction and sector-specific knowledge to every deal. Beyond focus, our track record speaks for itself. Recently, the Backswing Ventures the Backswing Ventures Fund II surpassed 1.0x DPI in under three years, which places us among the top-performing early-stage funds by Carta benchmarking data.
What are the primary industries or sectors you serve, and how has that focus evolved over time?
Today, Backswing Ventures focuses exclusively on defense technology and national security. That includes drone and autonomous systems, munitions, component suppliers for defense platforms, and critical infrastructure. When I started the firm in 2020, our mandate was broader. However, over time, I saw an enormous gap in quality and consistent capital for early-stage defense founders. So, that’s what we decided to hone in on. The geopolitical environment and accelerating government investment in these areas have validated that decision.
What are the most in-demand services or solutions that clients approach your company for?
Founders in defense and dual-use technology come to Backswing Ventures for patient, knowledgeable capital and access to our deep network across government and defense contracting, and investors come to us for our proven track record of great returns. This is a sector where many generalist VCs either lack the domain expertise or are unwilling to navigate the procurement and regulatory complexity. We understand the space, we have the network, and we’re willing to invest early when founders are still building toward their first major defense contracts.
How do you personally stay ahead of industry shifts when most data is already yesterday’s news?
At Backswing Ventures, we certainly learn from past investments and the deals we pass on, but our real edge comes from staying deeply embedded in the defense ecosystem. We spend significant time at industry conferences and with the government customers and program offices writing OTAs and procuring these technologies. That proximity allows us to stay current on what they’re actually prioritizing, who they’re evaluating, and what’s working—or not—across the market. In early-stage defense investing, that kind of real-time feedback loop is often more valuable than backward-looking data.
Do you have a significant percentage of repeat clients? If so, what strategies contribute to that loyalty?
Yes, we have a high percentage of repeat investors across funds. Many of our LPs have re-invested in subsequent funds, driven both by early liquidity we’ve been able to return through active portfolio management and secondaries, as well as strong conviction in our team and investment strategy.
LP retention is central to how we operate. We’ve built our investor base across individuals, family offices, investment advisors, and fund-of-funds, and we prioritize transparency, clear communication, and disciplined execution over marketing or overpromising. Our Fund II achieving 1.0x DPI in under three years served as a meaningful validation point and further strengthened trust and re-commitment heading into Fund III.
How do you measure and ensure high customer satisfaction in your operations?
For Backswing Ventures, “customer satisfaction” means two things: LP returns and founder outcomes. On the LP side, we track DPI (actual cash returned to investors), TVPI (the fund’s total value), and benchmark against Carta industry data to ensure we’re performing competitively. On the founder side, we measure ourselves by whether our portfolio companies are growing, closing contracts, and achieving meaningful milestones. We’re a small team precisely because we want to be genuinely useful to the founders we back, not just a name and cash resource.
What kind of post-project support do you provide to address client queries or ongoing needs?
Backswing Ventures remains actively engaged with portfolio companies well beyond the initial investment. That means we continue to provide them with strategic guidance, introductions to potential customers and partners, support through follow-on rounds, and help navigating the defense procurement process.
On the investor side, we prioritize accessibility and responsiveness. Because we are a small, focused fund, LPs have direct access to the partners and can reach us with questions, updates, or support needs as they arise. That level of proximity allows for a more transparent and high-touch relationship than is typical in larger fund structures, and we work to maintain open communication throughout the life of the fund.
What key challenges has your company faced in the last few years, and how did you overcome them?
The early years were difficult, especially launching Backswing in 2020 right into a global pandemic. Fund I came with a steep learning curve as I navigated a new industry and investment model as an emerging manager with limited fundraising experience. In that environment, you don’t have a track record to rely on – you have to build credibility from scratch, clearly articulate your thesis, and earn trust with initial partners who are underwriting both you and your strategy at the same time.
How do you foster innovation and adapt to emerging trends in your industry?
At Backswing Ventures, we stay close to emerging trends in defense technology through our portfolio, founder relationships, and ongoing investment research. A key part of that is maintaining direct proximity to the government customers and program offices responsible for evaluating and procuring these technologies. By engaging regularly at industry conferences and through ecosystem relationships, we gain real-time insight into what capabilities are being prioritized, what solutions are being tested or adopted, and where gaps remain in the defense industrial base.
This feedback loop helps shape our investment thesis and allows us to anticipate where the market is moving before it becomes consensus. In defense tech, being early is not just a financial advantage—it is often a strategic one as well.
What role does company culture play in your success, and how do you build and maintain it?
Culture in a small firm is everything. With a close, tight-knit team, every person’s values and work ethic directly shape who we are. I’ve always led with accountability, transparency, and a genuine commitment to continuous improvement, and I expect the same from everyone on our team. Luckily, they have delivered that tenfold.
Where do you envision your company in the next 5-10 years? What are your boldest long-term goals?
I want Backswing Ventures to be the defining early-stage fund for defense technology over the next decade. I want to be the fund that founders in this sector seek out first, and the fund that LPs point to as proof that disciplined VC in defense technology generates exceptional returns. We’re building toward that with Fund III, and the momentum is real. The global demand for advanced national security technology is only accelerating, and we intend to be at the center of it.
How has your leadership style evolved throughout your career, and what influences it?
Early on, I led through energy and conviction alone. Over time, I’ve learned that great leadership requires listening as much as it does acting. I’ve learned more from the investments I didn’t make than the ones I did. I credit a lot of my growth to the hard moments, and my leadership philosophy now centers on accountability, continuous improvement, and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking.
What emerging technologies or market shifts are you most excited about for your company?
We are most excited about advanced munitions and the broader shift toward more precise, scalable, and cost-effective battlefield systems, including attritable systems that can be produced and deployed at scale. Alongside that, we see strong opportunity in the critical component supply chains that enable these capabilities. These are areas where private capital is increasingly important and where early investments can have outsized impact on national security outcomes. The U.S. and its allies are in a sustained period of defense modernization, and we are well-positioned to back the companies building the capabilities that matter most.
What advice would you give to aspiring leaders? Can you share one lesson from your journey that resonates with the business community?
One lesson I return to often is that consistency and disciplined execution matter more than consensus. Early on, there were doubts about whether a small, independent fund could compete in defense technology venture capital. What we’ve learned is that success in this space is less about size or perception and more about staying focused, building conviction early, and executing steadily over time. Progress in early-stage investing compounds in ways that are often underestimated.
For aspiring leaders, my advice is to stay grounded in your thesis, avoid distraction from external noise, and focus on doing a small number of things exceptionally well over a long period of time. That consistency ultimately becomes a competitive advantage.