Webinar
U.S. Strategic Tech Fund Introduction
Join Drew Wandzilak, Managing Partner of the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund, alongside Laura Rippy, Managing Partner at Alumni Ventures, Senior Partner Darrin Wizst, and Senior Associate Ryan Musto, for an introduction to one of the most consequential venture theses of the decade — and how the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund gives accredited investors structured exposure to the rebuild of American defense, energy, advanced manufacturing, AI infrastructure, and critical minerals.
In this session, Drew, Laura, Darrin, and Ryan will walk through the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund investment thesis — how the fund is positioned across the categories rebuilding American industrial and technology capacity, the types of companies drawing serious venture interest today, and how the team sources and underwrites opportunities across defense, energy, AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and critical materials. The conversation will cover the structural forces reshaping the sector, portfolio activity to date, 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 the portfolio — 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 opportunities are forming
- HomeUnderstand how the U.S. Strategic Tech Fund is constructed and how the team sources, underwrites, and builds conviction across these categories
- HomeHear directly from Drew, Laura, Darrin, and Ryan on where they're sharpening conviction today — and how the fund fits into a long-term venture allocation
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 presenters
Drew has worked in high-growth industries as both an investor and operator, focusing on how people and technology interact within organizations. As a long-time investor with Alumni Ventures, he has worked across multiple funds and internal initiatives. He has worked on National and State level political campaigns, focusing on Small Business and Entrepreneurial policy. Drew holds a BS from Northwestern University in Education and Social Policy, specializing in Learning & Organizational Development. He also served as an Ambassador for Northwestern’s Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and was recognized in Chicago Inno’s 25 under 25.
Laura Rippy is a Managing Partner and Board Member at Alumni Ventures. She runs the Harvard-focused fund (The Yard Ventures), the Dartmouth-focused fund (Green D Ventures), the Women’s Fund at Alumni Ventures, and our US Strategic Tech fund. Alumni Ventures is “America’s Largest Venture Firm for Individuals” with $1.5B raised, and 1500 portfolio companies. AV is one of the top 3 most active venture capital firms globally, per Pitchbook 2018-24. Previously, Laura was a serial CEO, Chairman, Board Member, Advisor, and Executive in high-technology companies including Microsoft. Business Insider ranked Laura in the Best Early Stage Investors of 2024 and 2025. Laura Rippy holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an AB in Government from Dartmouth College.
Overview:
Clare brings a dual-lens of public policy and business strategy to venture investing, shaped by hands-on experience across emerging technologies, national security, and public systems. Her work spans both the public and private sectors—from prosecuting complex criminal networks at the Manhattan DA’s Office to driving strategic insight at frontier tech startups, such as Skydio and SandboxAQ.
At Alumni Ventures, Clare is a Senior Associate on the Strategic Tech team, where she focuses on dual-use technologies with commercial and national security applications. Her investment thesis centers on companies modernizing public infrastructure and defense capabilities—particularly those leveraging software, autonomy, and advanced energy systems to address mission-critical challenges.
Funds actively worked on:
- Lakeshore Ventures
- Purple Arch Ventures
- US Strategic Tech
Investment Areas of Focus:
Clare’s broader investment strategy is driven by a belief that venture capital can be a powerful lever for societal impact. She gravitates toward founders working in highly regulated, under-innovated sectors where technological progress can unlock system-wide change—across domains such as govtech, housing, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, healthcare access, next-gen energy, and defense. She’s particularly interested in companies that are reimagining how government and industry work together to solve large-scale problems through scalable, resilient technology. Her recent investments highlighting this thesis include: Aslan Protects, deploys AI agents to detect online leakage and prevent mass shootings, enabling proactive intervention by law enforcement; Closure Intelligence, a geospatial analytics platform for security and law enforcement; Unique Minds, builds AI-powered digital support systems tailored for neurodiverse individuals, enhancing independent living and therapeutic outcomes; Zeno Power, building radioisotope power systems for off-grid and deep space applications. These companies reflect Clare’s broader strategy: to invest in enduring platforms that serve strategic public systems and unlock decades of impact through dual-use innovation. She believes the next great venture outcomes will come not just from software or marketplaces, but from building the connective infrastructure between government and technology
Senior Partner
Darrin is an investment professional with an extensive background in financial services and B2B. Throughout his 25 year career, he has worked with individual investors, investment advisors and their clients, and institutional (foundations and endowments) clients, with various investment vehicles including mutual funds, separately managed accounts, socially responsible portfolios, and alternative investments. He earned a BA in Economics & Public Management from UMaine and an MBA from Boston College.
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.