The Briefing Room

Beaten Zone Venture Partners

Inside The Briefing Room, an Australian venture capital podcast dedicated to Defence, Sovereign Capability and National Security Innovation. Hosted by Peta Ellis, General Manager of Beaten Zone Venture Partners, and other members of the BZV team, each episode takes you behind the scenes with founders, veterans, investors, and operators who are key players in the Global Defence ecosystem that is building and supporting the future of Defence Innovation and Sovereign capability. From battlefield innovation to boardroom execution, we uncover how ideas move from concept to capability, and what it really takes to build and fund critical technology in one of the world’s most complex sectors. Real conversations with Defence founders and venture investors Insights on early-stage capital, capability, and collaboration Stories from Australia’s growing sovereign tech ecosystem This is not theory. It’s the reality of building companies that keep Australia in the fight. Subscribe to stay briefed. Beaten Zone Venture Partners | beatenzone.vc GENERAL PRODUCT ADVICE/MARKETING DISCLAIMER (Fund)  Beaten Zone Investment Manager Pty Ltd ACN 667 064 208 and Beaten Zone Management Partnership 1, LP (The Beaten Zone Group) are corporate authorised representative’s (CAR) (CAR Numbers 1303229 and 1303953) of Boutique Capital Pty Ltd ACN 621 697 621 (Boutique Capital) AFSL 508011.   This document contains general advice only and has been prepared by The Beaten Zone Group for individuals identified as wholesale investors for the purposes of providing a financial product or financial service, under Section 761G or Section 761GA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).  The information herein is presented in summary form and is therefore subject to qualification and further explanation. The information in this document is not intended to be relied upon as advice to investors or potential investors and has been prepared without taking into account personal investment objectives, financial circumstances or particular needs. Recipients of this document are advised to consult their own professional advisers about legal, tax, financial or other matters relevant to the suitability of this information.  The investment summarised in this document is subject to known and unknown risks, some of which are beyond the control of The Beaten Zone Group and their directors, employees, advisers or agents. The Beaten Zone Group does not guarantee any particular rate of return or the performance of the Fund, nor does The Beaten Zone Group and its directors personally guarantee the repayment of capital or any particular tax treatment. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.  The materials contained herein represent a general summary of The Beaten Zone Group’s current portfolio construction approach. The Beaten Zone Group is not constrained with respect to any investment decision making methodologies and may vary from them materially at its sole discretion and without prior notice to investors. Depending on market conditions and trends, The Beaten Zone Group may pursue other objectives or strategies considered appropriate and in the best interest of portfolio performance.  There are risks involved in investing in the The Beaten Zone Group’s strategy. All investments carry some level of risk, and there is typically a direct relationship between risk and return. We describe what steps we take to mitigate risk (where possible) in the Fund’s Information Memorandum. It is important to note that despite taking such steps, The Beaten Zone Group cannot mitigate risk completely.  This document was prepared as a private communication to clients and is not intended for public circulation or publication or for the use of any third party, without the approval of The Beaten Zone Group. Whilst this document is based on information from sources which The Beaten Zone Group considers reliable, its accuracy and completeness cannot be

  1. 2d ago

    Jamil Jaffer in The Briefing Room, Episode 30 | LA let China into its Olympics. Brisbane 2032 can't

    Recorded at REVEILLE 2026, shortly before Jamil joined OpenAI as Head of Global Government Cyber. At the time of recording, Jamil Jaffer was a Venture Partner at Paladin Capital Group, which has spent 25 years and six funds investing in homeland security, cyber, defence tech, and AI, with around $2 billion under management. A former White House national security lawyer, he now backs the companies defending critical infrastructure across the US and its allies.   Recorded live at REVEILLE 2026 on the Gold Coast, Jamil joins Peta Ellis to explain the Trusted Capital network of investors who refuse adversarial capital, and how Paladin helps its companies sell into government and critical infrastructure.   With Brisbane 2032 approaching, Jamil warns that Los Angeles has put Chinese equipment at the core of its Olympic telecoms network, argues the World Cup was lucky rather than prepared for drone threats, and sets out what Australia must do now, led by investors and industry rather than waiting for government.   He also makes the case for automated patching and AI-powered cyber defence, delivers some blunt advice for casual founders, and shares the deeply personal story of how his family went from East Africa to the Oval Office in a single generation.   GUEST LINKS Jamil Jaffer LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamil-jaffer/ Paladin Capital Group: https://www.paladincapgroup.com   HOST LINKS Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis BZV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc   Recorded live at REVEILLE 2026, Gold Coast. Produced by The Podcast Boss. thepodcastboss.com

  2. Oct 28

    Kevin Keaton in The Briefing Room, Episode 29 | The $100M Pentagon deal that only pays if it saves money

    Kevin Keaton spent 34 years in the US intelligence community and was the NSA's first ever Chief of Innovation. Today he is a co-founder, CIO and CISO of Red Cell Partners, a venture studio that builds national defence, cyber and healthcare companies from day zero.   Recorded live at REVEILLE 2026 on the Gold Coast, Kevin joins Peta Ellis to explain the venture studio model: surround a CEO with finance, hiring, defence-grade infrastructure and specialist accounting so they can focus on product market fit, and add people only when the need is real.   We cover what Red Cell looks for in a founder, how former Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Admiral John Aquilino and other advisers rehearse founders by playing their old jobs, and a new $100 million OTA with the Chief Digital and AI Office where the government only pays if it saves money.   Kevin also explains why Ukraine is now six generations deep in drone and counter-drone warfare, why you should know who is writing your open source code, and why he would rather back a great Australian founder than look elsewhere.   GUEST LINKS Kevin Keaton LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-keaton-329767209/ Red Cell Partners: https://www.redcellpartners.com   HOST LINKS Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis BZV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc   Recorded live at REVEILLE 2026, Gold Coast. Produced by The Podcast Boss. thepodcastboss.com

  3. Oct 22

    Sam Burrell in The Briefing Room, Episode 28 | Why every defence startup needs to be in Ukraine

    “You need to be close to the user, but you also need to be in Ukraine.” Samuel Burrell is a Partner at Expeditions, where he is Investment Lead for AUKUS and leads the London office. A former Royal Marine who served alongside Australians in Afghanistan, he now backs the founders building the next generation of defence and dual-use technology.   Recorded live at REVEILLE 2026 on the Gold Coast, Sam joins Peta Ellis to trace his path from a four-person London startup, through generalist investing at Octopus Ventures in 2017 (when he was looking at mattress companies because defence venture did not yet exist in the UK), to leading quantum investment at NSSIF, the UK's version of In-Q-Tel.   Sam explains why Ukraine is now the proving ground every serious defence tech company needs, how Expeditions opens pathways to Ukrainian units from its offices in the UK and Poland, and how Brave1 connects global companies with Ukrainian end users. He also covers why deep tech founders must be anchored in the science, and how investors help technical teams raise.   For anyone in uniform weighing their next move, his advice is blunt: build your network before you leave, skip the MBA, and go out there and hustle. Plus the story behind This Week in Dual-Use, the newsletter he started when he could not find one, still written without AI.   GUEST LINKS Expeditions: https://expeditionsfund.com This Week in Dual-Use: https://www.samuelburrell.com   HOST LINKS Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis BZV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc   Recorded live at REVEILLE 2026, Gold Coast. Produced by The Podcast Boss. thepodcastboss.com

  4. Jul 29

    Charlie McGillis in The Briefing Room, Episode 26 | Space is Contested: What the Threat Picture Actually Looks Like

    Charlie McGillis is a retired USAF Colonel with a 26-year career, finishing as Director of Intelligence for the 14th Air Force (Space), where she led intelligence efforts supporting Air Force space forces and national objectives. She brings more than 30 years in defence and space leadership, including driving advances in space simulation and operator training across military and commercial sectors. Charlie now serves as a Non-Executive Director on the Zendir board, sits on the BZV Investment Committee, and is a member of the Department of Commerce TraCSS Independent Review Board. She has been named one of the Top 30 Space Executives to Watch, advises Project Air Power, and mentors with CDL Space. She is Founder and CEO of 2 Polaris and Beyond, LLC. In this episode, Charlie joins Peta and Sean for a wide-ranging conversation on what space actually looks like as a contested domain today versus when she retired in 2014 (2,000 active satellites then, over 16,000 now), how the threat picture has shifted from static infrastructure to maneuvering satellites, rendezvous operations, and what she calls dog fighting in space, and why the decision timelines for operators have compressed dramatically as a result. We dig into Zendir and the live-virtual-constructive training gap: there is currently no certification required to fly a satellite, and Charlie makes a compelling case for why that has to change and why physics-true simulation is the only way to close it. She explains what made Zendir the board seat she said yes to, and why workshops like the one she facilitated at Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs are how the light-bulb moments actually happen. The conversation also covers what she calls the conversations the industry is not having: jamming that goes unreported every day, the legal gray zone around debris collection and orbital maneuvering, satellite theft by adversaries, and her case for space nuclear as a capability the industry must be willing to discuss openly. Charlie closes with direct advice for Australian founders looking to enter the U.S. space market: understand the mission, integrate into what already exists, get your CMMC level two in order, and do not wait for the U.S. to lead. Australia needs to build sovereign space capability and bring something distinct to the fight. 🔗  GUEST LINKS Charlie McGillis LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliemcgillis/ 2 Polaris and Beyond: https://www.2polarisandbeyond.com/ Host Links: Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis Sean Singleton (Co-host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/ BZV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc Production: Produced at ⁠The Podcast Boss⁠ ⁠podcast studio in Brisbane  Recorded on Riverside FM.  thepodcastboss.com

  5. Jul 15

    Dr Craig Cummings in The Briefing Room, Episode 25 | Moonshots Capital, Austin and the Series A Ecosystem

    Dr Craig Cummings, Co-Founder and General Partner at Moonshots Capital, joins Peta Ellis and Sean Singleton for a conversation spanning 30 years of defence, academia, entrepreneurship and venture capital. Craig served 17 years as a U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, deployed to Afghanistan with JSOC and earned the Bronze Star, and co-founded two companies, including RideScout, which was acquired by Mercedes. He then built Moonshots Capital into one of the most active dual-use VC firms in the United States. In this episode: why Austin became the centre of gravity for U.S. defence innovation, what changed when Army Futures Command moved into Capital Factory, why Craig looks for contracting expertise in every team he backs, and why the entire defence innovation ecosystem is still only at Series A. We also cover Skill Bridge, DARPA accelerators, veteran-to-venture pathways, and what it would take to build a Capital Factory-style ecosystem in Australia. **This episode was recorded before the passing of Joshua Baer, founder of Capital Factory, who is mentioned throughout our conversation with Craig Cummings. Josh built Capital Factory into one of the world's most important defence and technology innovation hubs and connected thousands of founders across two decades. We dedicate this episode to his memory. Our condolences to his family, his team, and the Austin community. Craig Cummings LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigwcummings/ Moonshots Capital: https://www.moonshots.capital/ Host Links (for YouTube description / pinned comment): Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis Sean Singleton (Co-host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292/ BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc

  6. Jul 1

    Col. Enrique Oti, USAF (Ret.) - CSO, Second Front Systems in the Briefing Room.

    Colonel Enrique Oti was employee number one at the Defense Innovation Unit - and he watched it nearly fail before it found its footing. In this episode, Sean Singleton and Peta Ellis sit down with Enrique, now Chief Strategy Officer at Second Front Systems, to trace a 23-year Air Force career that took him from special operations in Honduras and Afghanistan to two years as an Olmsted Scholar inside China's universities, to Silicon Valley at exactly the moment Washington and the tech sector had stopped talking to each other. Enrique shares what the original DIU got wrong, why every Ministry of Defence in the world is making the same mistake right now, why the difference between dual-use and defence tech matters more than most founders admit, and why Australian companies need to prove traction at home before showing up at the Pentagon door. He also breaks down what Second Front Systems is building to make AUKUS Pillar Two a real, frictionless reality across US, UK and Australian military networks. 🔗  GUEST LINKS Enrique OtiLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/enrique-oti Second Front Systems: https://www.secondfront.com   Host Links: Peta Ellis (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/petaellis Sean Singleton (Co-host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-singleton-b616292 BZV YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BeatenZoneVenturePartners/videos BZV Website: https://beatenzone.vc     Produced at ⁠The Podcast Boss⁠ ⁠podcast studio in Brisbane

About

Inside The Briefing Room, an Australian venture capital podcast dedicated to Defence, Sovereign Capability and National Security Innovation. Hosted by Peta Ellis, General Manager of Beaten Zone Venture Partners, and other members of the BZV team, each episode takes you behind the scenes with founders, veterans, investors, and operators who are key players in the Global Defence ecosystem that is building and supporting the future of Defence Innovation and Sovereign capability. From battlefield innovation to boardroom execution, we uncover how ideas move from concept to capability, and what it really takes to build and fund critical technology in one of the world’s most complex sectors. Real conversations with Defence founders and venture investors Insights on early-stage capital, capability, and collaboration Stories from Australia’s growing sovereign tech ecosystem This is not theory. It’s the reality of building companies that keep Australia in the fight. Subscribe to stay briefed. Beaten Zone Venture Partners | beatenzone.vc GENERAL PRODUCT ADVICE/MARKETING DISCLAIMER (Fund)  Beaten Zone Investment Manager Pty Ltd ACN 667 064 208 and Beaten Zone Management Partnership 1, LP (The Beaten Zone Group) are corporate authorised representative’s (CAR) (CAR Numbers 1303229 and 1303953) of Boutique Capital Pty Ltd ACN 621 697 621 (Boutique Capital) AFSL 508011.   This document contains general advice only and has been prepared by The Beaten Zone Group for individuals identified as wholesale investors for the purposes of providing a financial product or financial service, under Section 761G or Section 761GA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).  The information herein is presented in summary form and is therefore subject to qualification and further explanation. The information in this document is not intended to be relied upon as advice to investors or potential investors and has been prepared without taking into account personal investment objectives, financial circumstances or particular needs. Recipients of this document are advised to consult their own professional advisers about legal, tax, financial or other matters relevant to the suitability of this information.  The investment summarised in this document is subject to known and unknown risks, some of which are beyond the control of The Beaten Zone Group and their directors, employees, advisers or agents. The Beaten Zone Group does not guarantee any particular rate of return or the performance of the Fund, nor does The Beaten Zone Group and its directors personally guarantee the repayment of capital or any particular tax treatment. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.  The materials contained herein represent a general summary of The Beaten Zone Group’s current portfolio construction approach. The Beaten Zone Group is not constrained with respect to any investment decision making methodologies and may vary from them materially at its sole discretion and without prior notice to investors. Depending on market conditions and trends, The Beaten Zone Group may pursue other objectives or strategies considered appropriate and in the best interest of portfolio performance.  There are risks involved in investing in the The Beaten Zone Group’s strategy. All investments carry some level of risk, and there is typically a direct relationship between risk and return. We describe what steps we take to mitigate risk (where possible) in the Fund’s Information Memorandum. It is important to note that despite taking such steps, The Beaten Zone Group cannot mitigate risk completely.  This document was prepared as a private communication to clients and is not intended for public circulation or publication or for the use of any third party, without the approval of The Beaten Zone Group. Whilst this document is based on information from sources which The Beaten Zone Group considers reliable, its accuracy and completeness cannot be