[mijail]

The measure of VC is growth and if you are a component to larger systems or programs you will inevitably be throttled. If you are a platform and can own the end to end then you should take VC capital and invest heavily in well connected BD's that are known by the PM's and have a nuanced ability to navigate the orgs.

Palantir (who is end to end) has opened up VC appetites for defense and you see a certain signaling pattern to the VC backed defense start ups vs the traditional small defense business upstart.

I work at a "start up" that develops a component so we took a strategic investment from a defense contractor and that has enabled us to develop core technology and grow commercially while being patient with the arduous cycles of programs.