Webinar
The New Cold War: Why Biotech Is National Defense
Join Alumni Ventures’ Drew Wandzilak for a compelling discussion on why biotech is emerging as a critical pillar of national defense in today’s global landscape.
From pandemic preparedness to synthetic biology and genomic security, innovation in biotech is no longer just about healthcare—it’s about geopolitical resilience. This webinar will explore how venture-backed biotech startups are shaping the future of security, stability, and strategic advantage.
You’ll gain insights into why governments and investors alike are prioritizing biotech and how this sector is becoming a new battleground for global influence. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from AV’s investment leaders on how they’re identifying and backing the biotech companies defining the next era of national defense.
- HomeStrategic Insight: Understand how biotech innovations are integral to national and global security.
- HomeInvestment Focus: Discover why venture capital is flowing into companies like Synchron and Hyfe.
- HomePortfolio Perspective: Learn how Alumni Ventures identifies and supports transformative biotech startups.
Reserve your spot today for this timely and insightful discussion. Alumni Ventures is America’s largest venture capital firm for individual investors.
About your presenter
Overview:
Drew Wandzilak invests in breakthrough technologies that matter to the real world—systems that generate power, move hardware, secure nations, or decode biology. He focuses on companies operating in high-heat, high-speed, high-stakes environments where technical performance is existential and strategic value is measured in megawatts, meters per second, or mission success. Across aerospace, energy, and defense, Drew backs founders who don’t just pitch vision—they bend atoms, trajectories, and supply chains to make it real.
Funds actively worked on:
Yard Ventures
Green D Ventures
U.S. Strategic Tech Fund
Investment Areas of Focus:
His investment lens prioritizes platforms over point solutions, scale advantages rooted in physics or manufacturing, and mission alignment with long-term public interest. That includes nuclear reactors that deploy like data centers, orbital vehicles that reshape access to space, hypersonic systems built for rapid iteration, and genetic tools that bring diagnostics to the edge. These aren’t just technical moonshots—they’re foundational bets on how the next century will be powered, protected, and personalized.
Drew led Alumni Ventures’ investment in Impulse Space, which is building the in-space logistics layer for a high-frequency orbital economy. He backed Aalo Atomics, a small modular reactor company designing standardized, factory-built nuclear power for grid-scale deployment. He also invested in Astro Mechanica, which is reinventing hypersonic aerospace testing for the modern battlefield, and Acorn Genetics, which is miniaturizing genomics to enable low-cost, distributed DNA testing anywhere.
These companies reflect Drew’s broader strategy: to invest in enduring platforms that serve strategic industries and unlock decades of downstream innovation. He believes the next great venture outcomes will come not just from apps or algorithms, but from reengineering the physical world—and the infrastructure that underpins it.
LEARN HOW TO INVEST IN COMPANIES IN THIS SECTOR WITH ALUMNI VENTURES: