Erik Bruckner
@E_Bruxxx
Deep Tech // Hard Tech 💵
f*ck it. deploying some capital. vibes only, 1-meeting max. 10 x $25k angel checks > pre/seed > deep tech // hard tech 🏭 > U.S. HQ🇺🇸 reach out if raising.
you control the aux, what's pumping thru the factory to get the vibes right 🏭
VC is asking for EBITDA. PE is writing seed checks. 2025 is weird.
It’s not dual-use if nobody in the private sector wants it. That’s not failure, it’s feedback. Refocus and reposition. The right wedge unlocks both markets.
The romanticization of being a VC is kind of insane to me: - Get rich off fees - Deliver mid returns - Fly private - Summers in Ibiza - Winters in Aspen This is insanely hard and NOT for everyone.
The romanticization of being a startup founder is kind of insane to me: – You’re statistically unlikely to succeed – You’ll have no life and be totally consumed - Incredible lows – You’re locking yourself in for 10+ years This is insanely hard and NOT for everyone.
Mediocre tech with an elite founder? Might print. World-class tech with a mediocre founder? Might die. It's not the tech that ships, it’s the operator.
very few things hit like giving a founder their first check. go into debt if you have to.
build a factory 🏭 go into debt if you have to
the factory is the moat
you only have one life, work on real problems. hard problems.
more factories soon 🇺🇸 🏭 @zanehengsperger is an absolute dog building the fastest processing metals factory in North America at @noxmetals this is how we win, lfg
+ hardware misconceptions: > no market risk > not venture-backable > longer path to exit > government is only customer > "tech will sell itself" > can't scale like software > manufacturing can't be agile > only PhDs can build
The most persistent misconception in hardware is that it’s more capital intensive than software.
The most persistent misconception in hardware is that it’s more capital intensive than software.
some advice: raise just enough capital to stay hungry, paranoid, and slightly desperate. the goal isn't comfort.
listen, it's cool that you hit the gym with your girl. but can we plz stop making out between sets on the squat rack bro?
vibe seems to be shifting back to solo founders. many VCs in my orbit are gaining comfort here. some dudes just have that dog in them, dig it.
you can just: > bet where others laugh > validate the physics > scale the 'unscalable' > push harder > win louder > reload 🇺🇸 🏭
America: > Buy a busted factory > Reshore the supply chain > Automate the floor > Hire vets and machinists > Build real margin > Take it public God bless this place 🇺🇸
if building to prove investors wrong is your "why" your ngmi
When YC rejected my first startup I did the craziest thing: I just kept building and didn't make "prove YC wrong" my personality. Because that would have been f*ucking stupid. founders making rejection trauma from a specific investor passing their entire personality is dumb
guys, where are you? hit the gym. seriously. your presence is required to earn the right to call yourself a man.
Drop into a new gym every time I travel (2-3x/month). The women are almost always fitter than the men no matter where I am. Barrys, Crossfit, Equinox. LA, SF, NYC. Seems a bit concerning.
"who else is investing" isn't always clout chasing, sometimes it's a sanity check. many VCs offer shit terms and suck to partner with.