# He Got 30 Investor Rejections, Then Built a $12.7 billion Defense AI Company | Ep. 420 with Brandon Tseng President and Co-Founder of Shield AI

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-s-story-648906/he-got-30-investor-rejections-then-built-a-12-7-billion-defense-ai-company-ep-420-with-brandon-tseng-president-and-co-founder-of-shield-ai
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-s-story-648906/he-got-30-investor-rejections-then-built-a-12-7-billion-defense-ai-company-ep-420-with-brandon-tseng-president-and-co-founder-of-shield-ai.md
Podcast: [Founder's Story](https://stenobird.com/podcast/founder-s-story-648906)
Published: 2026-07-15T14:46:50+00:00
Episode link: https://bleav.com/shows/founders-story/
Audio file: https://clrtpod.com/m/pscrb.fm/rss/p/mgln.ai/e/1184/afp-969439-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/a7765f3f-02e4-4ded-bca1-01a20b7f82a5/episodes/e15094fe-d297-4f74-b37c-d7d397c226a4/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=a7765f3f-02e4-4ded-bca1-01a20b7f82a5&awEpisodeId=e15094fe-d297-4f74-b37c-d7d397c226a4&feed=NVPdHs07
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Duration seconds: 1613

## Resource

Daniel Robbins sits down with Brandon Tseng, President and Co-founder of Shield AI, to unpack how a former Navy SEAL turned firsthand combat experience into one of the most important defense technology companies in the world. Brandon shares why ignorance can be an entrepreneur’s superpower, how every investor said no in Shield AI’s early days, and why raising money feels less like celebration and more like signing up for another championship season. The conversation dives into Hell Week, leadership, autonomous warfare, the VBAT’s real-world missions, and why Brandon’s definition of success has nothing to do with becoming a billionaire and everything to do with building something that protects service members and civilians.

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## Transcript

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