8VC is an American venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale. Originally called "8 Partners," the firm emerged from much of the team at the dissolved Formation 8 and is now headquartered in Austin, Texas after moving there in 2020.

Point72 Ventures is the venture capital arm of billionaire Steve Cohen's Point72 Asset Management, founded in 2016. What started as Cohen applying his capital to early- and growth-stage technology startups has evolved into a sophisticated venture operation that has backed over 130 companies across fintech, AI/ML, enterprise software, healthcare, and defense tech.

Alumni Ventures (AV) started in 2014 with a simple but powerful idea: leverage alumni networks to democratize access to venture capital investing. What began as a single Dartmouth alumni fund has grown into a network-powered VC firm managing approximately $1.4-1.5 billion across 25+ funds, backed by over 11,000 investors.

In-Q-Tel (IQT) is the CIA's nonprofit venture arm, founded in 1999 to ensure U.S. intelligence agencies have access to cutting-edge commercial technology. Operating as a 501(c)(3) strategic investment firm, IQT is funded largely by U.S. intelligence budgets and has built an impressive portfolio of roughly 800 investments over its 25+ year history.

First In Ventures launched in 2020 with a focused mission: back cybersecurity, defense tech, and data startups, especially those founded by military veterans. This early-stage VC firm closed its Fund I in early 2022 at roughly $55 million total, after starting with an initial close of about $17 million in June 2021.

Founded in 2000, Lux Capital has grown into one of the most prominent venture firms backing ambitious science and technology companies. With roughly $5 billion under management across about 10 flagship and opportunity funds, Lux operates at a scale that allows them to make big bets on capital-intensive "hard tech" opportunities.

IronGate Capital Advisors operates from Tampa, Florida, with a clear mission: deploy private capital into early-stage companies whose advanced technologies serve both U.S. defense/intelligence needs and civilian markets. This "dual-use" approach lets them back startups that can scale across multiple sectors while strengthening national security capabilities.

Moonshots Capital started with a pretty compelling origin story. Back in 2017, two West Point graduates and military veterans – Kelly Perdew and Craig Cummings – decided to formalize what they'd been doing as angel investors since 2014. Based between Austin, Texas and Los Angeles, California, these guys had a clear vision: back startups led by extraordinary leaders, particularly U.S. military veterans and battle-tested repeat founders.