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EP 102: He Raised $76M With No Defense Tech Background | Nelson Mills Founder of VATN Systems
From VC intern to $76M raised, here’s how it really happened.
He raised $76M in two years—without ever working in defense tech.
Nelson Mills, co-founder and CEO of a fast-growing underwater defense startup. Shares how he went from a VC intern to leading a company building autonomous undersea vehicles and why the maritime defense space became the perfect opportunity.
He breaks down how he validated the market, assembled a world-class team, and raised more than $76M across multiple rounds.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
How Nelson raised $3.5M pre-seed, $13M seed, and a $60M Series A as a…
The skinny
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