A Veteran-Owned, Dual-Use Tech Venture Fund

DO GOOD. MAKE MONEY.™

About Us

Outpost Ventures (OV) is a veteran-owned venture fund with unique access to leading entrepreneurs in AI, mobility, space and energy technologies focused on capturing the incredible value available from U.S. Government (USG) Matching Funds programs. Matching Funds means that when OV invests in a company, the USG will match the amount of the investment but take no equity, effectively doubling each company’s runway with non-dilutive capital.

Strategic Advantages

We focus on Series A companies that:

  • Are proven with revenue in commercial markets;
  • Have US Government (USG) contracts; AND
  • Are eligible for non-dilutive USG Matching Funds


We have a proprietary accelerator that provides:

  • Deal flow
  • Long histories with founders who are proven operators
  • Post-investment support providing:
    • Additional USG contracts
    • Client introductions within its network

Our Team

Dave Harden

Founder & Managing Partner

Alexandra Shah

Managing Partner

Robert Mai

COO & Principal

Ben Strub, CFA

CFO

Rokas Tamošiūnas

Mergers & Acquisitions Partner, Europe

General Mike Holmes (Ret.)

Advisor

Joey Arora

Advisor

Swapna Kulkarni

Director of Venture Coaching & Strategy

Marti Golon

Creative Director

Deedee Yan

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Jessica Forms

Chief of Staff

Brody Ferris

IT

Jess Boyd

Federal Portfolio Engagement Representative

Investment Portfolio

In The News

Electra selected for NASA's AACES 2050 program

Air Force Vet Fundraising for 'Dual-Use' VC Fund

Safire Raises $8M to Deliver Lithium-ion Battery Safety Tech

Venture Backing of Defense Firms Foiled by Small Business Rules

Dave Harden led a discussion on “The Art of the Startup”

Electra announces new funding prompted by USAF award

Safire Elevates Lithium-ion Battery Safety Standards

Dave Harden

Founder & Managing Partner

Dave Harden is an entrepreneur, husband and father of four, and Managing Partner of Outpost Ventures, through which he’s created an innovative approach to venture capital, business development, technology acceleration, and national security investment. 

Dave is also the founder of The Outpost, which has helped 220 companies win more than $480 million of USG contracts.  Previously, he was an Air Force pilot who recognized that maintaining global technological superiority would require the US to adopt a more inclusive procurement strategy. Dave became a founding architect of AFWERX, the tech innovation arm of the US Air Force, and was appointed Chief of Strategic Prioritization at the Pentagon, leading efforts to reprioritize technology investment in the private sector. As a result, dual-use tech companies have a channel through which to win USG contracts, and are incentivized to do so with the incredible value to be captured by USG Matching Funds programs.

AFWERX has executed over $5 billion with more than 3,100 companies.

Dave was also the former COO of Melwood, a 1500-person enterprise providing opportunities for people with disabilities. 

He earned his MBA at George Washington University and his BS in electrical engineering at the US Air Force Academy. He also holds an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from MIT, and he is a certified business and executive coach with a specialization in Design Thinking and Innovation from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. Dave also piloted the $225 million, technologically advanced C-17, and has nearly 4,000 flight hours, including significant combat time in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo.

 (LinkedIn)

Alexandra Shah

Managing Partner

Alex is a seasoned finance professional with a strong background in financial services and disruptive technology-enabled businesses. She has raised and managed over $750 million in capital throughout various investment ventures. Alex started her professional career investing in distressed and illiquid assets during the great recession.

After receiving her MBA from NYU, she has spent the past decade focusing her expertise on investing in, fundraising for and operating disruptive technology-enabled businesses.

She has been instrumental in identifying innovative startups and guiding them towards success by combining her financial acumen with a deep understanding of emerging technologies. She has had multiple successful exits through private acquisition and IPO. She has also assisted with numerous fund raises for stand-alone SPV’s as well as emerging manager funds.

Robert Mai

COO & Principal

Robert is a highly accomplished and results-driven investment manager with more than 25 years of financial services, asset management and alternative investment experience. He was previously a Managing Partner at a venture capital firm and has deep experience across all functions of the early-stage company investment process, including deal sourcing, due diligence, business development support, and exit strategy and execution. He also has a long history of serving on portfolio company boards.

Robert holds an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business, a BA from California State University, Fullerton, and a BSc from UC Irvine.

Ben Strub, CFA

CFO

Ben is a seasoned finance executive with over 20 years of experience leading financial strategy and operations. 

Ben’s experience spans many sectors and company sizes ranging from startups to public companies. His expertise lies in managing financial operations, capital budgeting, M&A, risk management and strategic planning. His career has been marked with a track record of implementing data-driven financial solutions that drive growth, profitability and competitive market advantage.

At a prior financial services company Ben created the financial deal structure that enabled the company to acquire its largest competitor and emerge as a market leader with $10.3B of assets under administration. Subsequently, he built the entire finance and accounting infrastructure for a food tech company he helped to scale to 400 employees, and secured the financing needed to fuel its growth. Most recently, he led deposit strategy and pricing at a bank, where he raised $240M of new deposits in one year, increasing the deposit base by 33%.

Ben was also an advisor to two fintech startups with successful exits. Ben is a CFA charter holder and earned his MBA in Finance from the Richard Ivey School of Business.

(LinkedIn)

Rokas Tamošiūnas

Mergers & Acquisitions Partner, Europe

Rokas is an innovation leader with nearly 20 years’ experience of launching and developing investment funds, advising, and investing in deep tech and defence. Driven to create best in class organisations, comfortable operating at pace in conditions of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), with a deep understanding of the innovation landscape across Europe.

Throughout his career Rokas has founded the first accelerator in CEE (a Techstars-like investor), software VC funds, and defense / dual-use focussed funds. As a management consultant he has advised largest regional private and public companies in the sectors of energy, hospitality, finance and media. He has previously worked in M&A on both sell and buy side in the sectors of manufacturing, IT, and finance.

Rokas holds a doctoral (DBA) diploma from SDA Bocconi in syndicated venture finance, he has also graduated Vilnius University, and Lithuanian Military Academy, and is also certified by Oxford Said SBS, Cambridge JBS, INSEAD, London Business School, IESE, and other leading business universities.

(LinkedIn)

General Mike Holmes (Ret.)

Advisor

General Holmes, now retired, is one of a select few to have ever held the rank of Four-Star General in the US Air Force (USAF). General Holmes served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on headquarters staffs of the USAF, U.S. European Command and Pacific Air Forces. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Requirements at the USAF.
General Holmes is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of RED 6, a tech company revolutionizing military training through augmented reality. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to The Roosevelt Group. He brings to Outpost Ventures invaluable knowledge and experience with evaluating new technologies and applicability to national capabilities.

Joey Arora

Advisor

Joey is a startup founder and ecosystem builder with a passion for connecting entrepreneurs to government opportunities. Previously, Joey was the Chief Scaling Officer at Platform One and a pioneer of the innovation ecosystems at AFWERX and AFVentures. Joey holds an MS degree in Organizational Leadership from Colorado State University and a BA in Business Administration from University of Colorado at Boulder.

(LinkedIn)

If you are an Accredited Investor and would like to learn more about Outpost Ventures, please schedule a call