Veteran Ventures Capital
Veteran-founded venture capital firm investing in veteran-led and national-security-relevant startups via its Veteran Fund I.
McLean/Tysons, VA-based veteran-owned investment firm founded in 2019 by Derren Burrell (Founder & Managing Partner, 21-year military career including deputy comptroller in Iraq and NATO Air Training Command resource director in Afghanistan), backing veteran-led companies at the intersection of national security and commercial technology across defense, aerospace, advanced sensing, robotics, cyber, space, undersea autonomy, and emerging fields like quantum sensing. Fund I closed at $20M (fully deployed); Fund II closed oversubscribed at $60M in August 2025 — roughly $100M firm-wide across both funds. Across both funds, VVC-backed companies have secured over $250M in non-dilutive government funding.
Overview
- Firm
- Veteran Ventures Capital
- Headquarters
- Tysons, VA
- Founded
- 2019
- AUM
- Fund I: $20M (fully deployed); Fund II: $60M (closed oversubscribed, Aug 2025); ~$100M firm-wide
- Stages
- Seed, Series A, Series B
- Thesis
- Veteran leadership provides a competitive edge — discipline, mission focus, and operational rigor from military service — combined with the firm's national-security network to identify, fund, and scale mission-critical dual-use technologies.
- X / Twitter
- x.com/venturesveteran
- Website
- www.veteranventures.us/
Portfolio companies3
- CompanyGrist Mill ExchangeCommercial-data marketplace for government and national-security buyers, connecting agencies to vetted third-party data providers with pre-negotiated licensing. A Core4ce subsidiary.
- CompanyAgile Space IndustriesDurango, Colorado-based designer and manufacturer of in-house 3D-printed chemical propulsion systems (thrusters and rocket engines) for spacecraft, serving NASA, DoD, and prime-contractor customers.
- CompanyVatn SystemsRhode Island-based builder of low-cost, modular autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and acoustic sensing arrays for undersea ISR, mine countermeasures, and electronic warfare, serving the U.S. military and allied navies.
Partners3
- FounderDerren BurrellFounder & Managing Partner of Veteran Ventures Capital, a veteran-owned VC firm backing dual-use national-security startups.
- FounderJosh WeedGeneral Partner and investment-committee chair at Veteran Ventures Capital, a veteran-owned VC firm backing dual-use national-security startups.
- FounderSteve KiserGeneral Partner at Veteran Ventures Capital, focused on backing defense manufacturing and industrial-capacity companies that compress production timelines for critical defense systems.
Frequently asked
- What is Veteran Ventures Capital?
- Veteran leadership provides a competitive edge — discipline, mission focus, and operational rigor from military service — combined with the firm's national-security network to identify, fund, and scale mission-critical dual-use technologies.
- How much does Veteran Ventures Capital manage?
- Veteran Ventures Capital manages Fund I: $20M (fully deployed); Fund II: $60M (closed oversubscribed, Aug 2025); ~$100M firm-wide in assets, and was founded in 2019.
- What stages does Veteran Ventures Capital invest at?
- Veteran Ventures Capital invests at Seed, Series A, Series B.
Sources & citations3
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Veteran Ventures Capital closed an oversubscribed $60 million Fund II in August 2025
PR Newswire: Veteran Ventures Capital Closes Oversubscribed $60 Million Fund II Amid Record Aerospace & Defense MomentumVerified2025-08-01 - 2
Veteran Ventures Capital, since its founding in 2019, relocated its headquarters to Tysons, Virginia
PR Newswire: Veteran Ventures Capital Reinforces Commitment to Defense Tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship With Headquarters Relocation to Tysons, VirginiaVerified2024-01-01 - 3
Veteran Ventures Capital, since its inception in 2019, announced a $10 million investment from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation
PR Newswire: Veteran Ventures Capital Announces $10 Million Investment From Virginia Innovation Partnership CorporationVerified2024-06-01