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Back to European Defense Sovereignty Starts in the Factory: Stark’s Uwe Horstmann and Johannes Schaback, with Uwe Horstmann & Johannes Schaback.

Why Does Stark Run Defense Programs Like a Venture Portfolio?

Uwe Horstmann says Stark runs about 10 to 15 programs at once, almost like a venture portfolio, instead of betting the company on a single system.

He describes the set as an innovation portfolio in the venture sense. Several programs move at the same time. The one he points to is a software-driven system, inexpensive next to older weapon systems, and the question he keeps is whether a soldier can actually use it. Usability, he says, includes the mental load on the person operating it, not only whether the technology works in a lab.

The portfolio is how Stark looks for that feedback across more than one bet. Capital can be raised. The scarce input is the user telling the team what is wrong.

Transcript

European Defense Sovereignty Starts in the Factory: Stark’s Uwe Horstmann and Johannes Schaback ·

Training Data

More from this episode

  1. Why Is the Staff Sergeant as Important as the General?Uwe Horstmann says the staff sergeant who uses a system is as important as the general who buys it, and for Stark often more important.
  2. Why Can Europe Build New Defense Companies Now?Uwe Horstmann says Europe can build new defense companies now because two changes arrived together: Europe accepted that it must take more responsibility for…
  3. Why Does Stark Want Systems as Complex as a Washing Machine?Uwe Horstmann says Stark wants its systems to be about as complex to manufacture as a washing machine, because that is what mass production requires.
  4. Why Does Stark Build Hardware and Software Together?Johannes Schaback says Stark's accuracy comes from building the hardware and the software as one system.
  5. Why Is Stark a Good First Defense Job?Johannes Schaback says Stark is a good first home for people who want to apply their skills to defense for the first time, because the company is as much a…
  6. Why Does Stark Build More Than One Product?Uwe Horstmann says Stark moves to more than one product because militaries describe their own capability gaps and the company does not see an abundance of…
  7. Why Does Stark Design for the Factory Before the Demo?Johannes Schaback says Stark designs for the factory before it designs for a demo.

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