Webinar
Distilling Oil: The Unseen Cost of the Strait Closure
Join Ryan Musto, Senior Associate at Alumni Ventures, for a clear-eyed look at the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund thesis — and why the rebuild of American defense, energy, advanced manufacturing, AI infrastructure, and critical minerals is shaping up to be one of the most consequential venture opportunities of the decade.
In this session, Ryan Musto will walk through the structural forces reshaping how the U.S. thinks about technology and industrial capacity — from defense modernization and reshoring, to the compute and energy buildout underpinning AI, to the critical minerals and advanced manufacturing capabilities the country now needs to regain. Ryan will share how the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund is positioned across these categories, the types of companies drawing serious venture interest, and where the team sees the most compelling opportunities forming next.
Whether you’re a current Alumni Ventures investor sharpening your view of the strategic tech landscape, or an accredited investor evaluating the sector for the first time, this session will give you a grounded, investor-focused thesis on one of the most important shifts happening in venture today. Register to hear directly from the team building a portfolio around it — and bring your questions to the live Q&A.
Want to access our U.S. Strategic Tech Syndicate startup deals to see, evaluate, and optionally invest? No cost, no commitment.
Why Attend?
- HomeDiscover why the rebuild of U.S. defense, energy, advanced manufacturing, AI infrastructure, and critical minerals is reshaping venture — and where the most compelling early-stage opportunities are forming
- HomeUnderstand how the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund is positioned across these categories and what the team is watching most closely today
- HomeHear directly from the Alumni Ventures team investing in the companies rebuilding U.S. industrial and technology capacity
Rated a Top 20 VC Firm by both TIME and CB Insights.
Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenter
Overview
Ryan is a macro-driven investor focused on HardTech and DefenseTech, backing frontier builders riding the tailwinds of global geopolitics and industrial transformation. He looks for companies tackling mission-critical challenges in national security, reindustrialization, and energy.
Prior to joining Alumni Ventures, Ryan co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer of Cityline Technologies (acquired by RentButter), an AI underwriting software in the real estate space. He scaled the business across North America, spearheading all business operations and fundraising.
Ryan holds a MSc with Distinction from the University of Oxford, where his research focused on Saudi Arabian developmental economics, and a BA from Cornell University, where he double majored in Near Eastern Studies and History. He loves learning languages (fluent Arabic, intermediate Italian, and beginner Korean) and is an avid skier and guitar player. He is a Fellow at The Economic Club of New York.
Funds Actively Worked On
- Blue Ivy Ventures
- Nassau Street Ventures
- US Strategic Tech Fund
Investment Area Of Focus
At Alumni Ventures, Ryan leads efforts across advanced manufacturing, supply chain, and maritime technologies. In an era of seismic shifts in global trade, supply-chain realignment, and heightened great-power competition, he sees unprecedented opportunities for startups to modernize logistics, shipbuilding, and infrastructure—key pillars of resilience. As the world’s economic architecture stares down a once-in-a- generation makeover, he believes startups are indeed best positioned to act, react, solve, and ultimately benefit from the disorder.
Ryan led Alumni Ventures’ investment in HavocAI, a leading unmanned surface vessel (USV) manufacturer that is redefining naval warfare and fleet protection; Albacore, a cutting edge UUV (unmanned undersea vessel) manufacturer; and PDW, a category-defining defense drone business.