Funds & Partners to Target
Specific American Dynamism capital sources aligned with "rejected genius" narratives
Tier 1: Primary Targets
Founders Fund PRIMARY
"We wanted flying cars, instead we got 140 characters." Backs founders building transformative technology that most VCs consider too ambitious or controversial.
AUM: $11B+ | Stage: Seed to Growth | Check size: $50K - $100M+
Anduril - Defense tech ($30.5B)
SpaceX - Aerospace
Palantir - Data/defense
Stripe - Payments
Key Partners for FIM/IAM Pitch:
- Peter Thiel - Contrarian philosopher-investor, loves "secrets"
- Brian Singerman - Led Anduril investment, deep tech focus
- Keith Rabois - PayPal mafia, operational excellence
Why FIM Fits:
- 25-year "secret" that mainstream VCs can't evaluate
- Infrastructure play (like Palantir) not a feature
- Institutional friction validates the threat to status quo
- Patent creates defensible moat they understand
a16z American Dynamism PRIMARY
"Investing in founders and companies that support the national interest." Backs aerospace, defense, public safety, education, housing, supply chain, industrials, manufacturing.
Focus: Government as customer, competitor, or key stakeholder
Anduril - Defense
Flexport - Supply chain
Flock Safety - Public safety
Applied Intuition - Autonomy
Key Partners:
- Katherine Boyle - Leads American Dynamism, ex-Washington Post, defense focus
- David Ulevitch - Former founder OpenDNS, infrastructure plays
Why FIM Fits:
- AI liability/permissions = national security infrastructure
- Enterprise IAM decision makers are their LPs' companies
- "Courage to tackle America's biggest challenges" framing
- Government will need AI permission frameworks
8VC (Joe Lonsdale) PRIMARY
"When the companies we want to back don't exist yet, we build them." Founded 21 companies since 2016. Defense, government tech, manufacturing, robotics.
Approach: Incubates in spaces others won't touch. Co-founded Palantir.
Palantir - Co-founded
Addepar - Fintech
Epirus - Defense
Resilience - Biotech
Key Partner:
- Joe Lonsdale - PayPal mafia, Palantir co-founder, Austin-based, politically vocal
Why FIM Fits:
- Austin connection - you have Capital Factory talks scheduled
- Incubator model - they might want to co-build, not just fund
- Palantir DNA understands enterprise data/permissions
- Joe is vocal about founders who challenge institutions
Tier 2: Secondary Targets
Lux Capital SECONDARY
"Bet on the future by investing at the outer most edge of what is possible." Deep tech, hard science, contrarian bets on breakthrough technology.
Focus: Science-based companies others find too hard to evaluate
Key Partner:
- Josh Wolfe - Vocal about backing "weirdos" with technical depth
Why FIM Fits:
- 25 years of mathematical work = deep science credibility
- Patent filing = IP-first approach they understand
- Category creation, not feature competition
Craft Ventures SECONDARY
Backs founders with strong product vision and defensible advantages. PayPal mafia network.
Focus: SaaS, fintech, enterprise - but with contrarian lens
Key Partner:
- David Sacks - PayPal mafia, politically vocal, All-In podcast host
Why FIM Fits:
- CRM angle plays to their enterprise expertise
- David Sacks is vocally supportive of founders facing institutional friction
- All-In podcast reach could amplify story
Bedrock Capital SECONDARY
"Narrative Violations" - backs founders whose companies contradict conventional wisdom. Explicitly anti-pattern-matching.
Key Partners:
- Geoff Lewis - Coined "Narrative Violation" thesis
- Eric Stromberg - Deep tech background
Why FIM Fits:
- "Narrative Violation" is literally your pitch - AI liability solved by 25-year-old math
- They explicitly seek founders others dismiss
- Your eviction story IS the narrative violation
Tier 3: Network Nodes
Individual Angels from PayPal Mafia NETWORK
- Max Levchin - PayPal co-founder, Affirm founder, technical credibility matters
- Reid Hoffman - LinkedIn, Greylock, "contrarian AND right" thesis
- Elon adjacent - Anyone in the X/Tesla/SpaceX orbit who backs builders
Defense Tech Ecosystem NETWORK
- Palmer Luckey network - Anduril connections, defense-first thinkers
- DIU (Defense Innovation Unit) alumni - Understand government + tech intersection
- In-Q-Tel connections - CIA's venture arm, if AI permissions matter to national security
Approach Strategy by Tier
| Tier |
Approach |
Timeline |
| Tier 1 |
Warm intro via Capital Factory / Austin network. Cold with "Institutional Immune Response" pitch. |
Before April patent filing |
| Tier 2 |
LinkedIn outreach with "Narrative Violation" framing. Podcast appearances as credibility. |
Q1 2026 |
| Tier 3 |
Network through portfolio founders. Defense angle for DIU/In-Q-Tel. |
Ongoing |