Founder10x - From Data Sovereignty to Battlefield Defence - Max Buchan, Co-founder & CEO, Valarian

Max Buchan is the Co-founder & CEO of Valarian, a dual-purpose defense tech company that emerged from stealth with a $20M seed funding round. ⭐ Sponsored by Podcast10x - Podcasting agency for VCs - https://podcast10x.com Valarian website - https://www.valarian.com/ Max Buchan LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxbuchan 🎙️ Hosted by Prashant Choubey Follow Prashant on X - https://x.com/ChoubeySahab Follow Prashant on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/choubeysahab Key Topics: - Technology: Secure enclaves ("Acro") deployed from public cloud to battlefield hardware in Pelican cases - Defense Pivot: Approached by US government; co-founder Josh brings 12 years at Palantir + 18 years in US special operations - Dual-Use Market: Same platform serves airlines/banks, enterprises and Department of Defense - Funding: Backed by early Palantir investors, Scout Ventures, MD1, and Gokul Rajaram (Coinbase/Pinterest board) Key Insights: - European nations increasingly need digital sovereignty solutions independent from American software - Mission-driven hiring can compete with higher-paying tech giants - Dual-use technology requires different go-to-market strategies for enterprise vs. government - Building critical infrastructure creates natural competitive moats Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:07) Max's background at CoinShares and founding of Valarian (05:59) Explanation of Valarian's core technology and dual-purpose approach (08:31) Cybersecurity and digital infrastructure focus (10:29) Building trust and credibility with government and enterprise clients (14:14) Go-to-market strategies for enterprise and government sectors (17:47) Challenges of selling to government clients (21:00) Fundraising approach and investor selection (24:41) Capital allocation strategy (26:28) Hiring strategy and attracting top talent (29:23) Finding high-quality talent from smaller companies (31:24) Building a moat and defensibility for the company (33:32) Product market fit considerations (35:30) Key metrics for tracking company performance (38:30) Organizational structure for managing enterprise and government segments (40:49) Learning and seeking advice as a first-time founder (43:03) Managing mental health and maintaining relationships (44:49) Most pivotal decision in Valarian's journey (46:12) Closing remarks and ways to follow Max For sponsorship or guest appearance requests, write to prashantchoubey3@gmail.com Subscribe to VC10X on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts.