Investor at Anorak Ventures | Co-Founder of Avie AI Manchester | Chicago | London | San Francisco
San Francisco
Joined August 2021
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In July 2007, a young man who was 'made in Manchester' left Europe to begin a new adventure in California. His name was Beckham.
It's July 2024 and another young man ‘made in Manchester' has left Europe to begin a new adVenture in California. His name is my name...Charlie.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
BREAKING: @noxmetals, the YC-backed manufacturing startup, says it has reached a $25M annualized revenue run rate in less than a year.
The Detroit-based startup is automating metal cutting and supply for the American industrial base.
ALT Source: Nox Metals
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Honor being invited on!
Anduril with Greg Castle (Anorak Ventures)
30 Days of Hard Tech - Day 10 🚀
Today, Anorak is on its third fund, but Greg’s journey into hardtech investing began with his early investment in Oculus. That investment ultimately paved the way for his involvement with Anduril and the launch of a fund dedicated to hard tech
“Palmer is a generational founder and has a mind like few others that I've seen. And then you pair that with somebody who's got the experience and the understanding of the capital markets like Trae and also the government background - the team was incredible”
“People were not interested in defense, people were not interested in hardware. Yet it was so blatantly obvious that the market opportunity there was so, so tremendous. And when you take a capable team, you take a market that's underserved, and you take a market that is literally trillions and trillions of dollars, and an opportunity to get in at the ground floor on something like that, it was a no-brainer.”
Charlie Leggate retweeted
When I first met @LorenBrill she had lofty ambitions. She wanted to 50x revenue and get on @guyraz to share her journey. I was skeptical (to put it mildly!) but I saw in her a passion that was undeniable. Today my wife ticks off another box in her life story. Give this episode of @HowIBuiltThis a listen if you want to hear a story about grit, determination, positivity, and resilience. I’m incredibly proud❤️
open.spotify.com/episode/20v…
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Anduril with Greg Castle (Anorak Ventures)
30 Days of Hard Tech - Day 10 🚀
Today, Anorak is on its third fund, but Greg’s journey into hardtech investing began with his early investment in Oculus. That investment ultimately paved the way for his involvement with Anduril and the launch of a fund dedicated to hard tech
“Palmer is a generational founder and has a mind like few others that I've seen. And then you pair that with somebody who's got the experience and the understanding of the capital markets like Trae and also the government background - the team was incredible”
“People were not interested in defense, people were not interested in hardware. Yet it was so blatantly obvious that the market opportunity there was so, so tremendous. And when you take a capable team, you take a market that's underserved, and you take a market that is literally trillions and trillions of dollars, and an opportunity to get in at the ground floor on something like that, it was a no-brainer.”
Charlie Leggate retweeted
In the last year we have empowered 300+ manufacturers including Boeing, SpaceX, Lockheed, Anduril, and many glorious machine shops of America.
We have created 52 US manufacturing jobs as well.
We just posted for 80 new hires in SF, LA, and Detroit. Multiple people for some roles
jobs.ashbyhq.com/nox-metals
Come build factories in America with us. And continue to inspire future generations to build again in this country.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Special thanks to all our founders for your tireless work and our amazing group of individual and institutional LPs for their support.
@jroosevelt2 @_MichaelAntonov @jacobcohen @brendaniribe @jamierhodes @Lady10x @screendoorvc @jstasik @yannickoswald @nimble_partners @natemitchell @JDFarner @cmonkey @DoubleMcapital @ZacBookman @typesfaster @crtinch
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Announcing Anorak Ventures Fund III 🚀
Since 2017, we’ve been backing ambitious founders leveraging advanced technology to disrupt the status quo. We invest early and often, writing checks between $250k - $1M with the ability to lead or follow. Focus areas include aerospace and defense, critical infrastructure, and advanced manufacturing, but if you’re passionate about an idea with a 1% chance of making a dent in the universe, @Charlieleg8 and I want to hear from you.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Our website has an awesome new checkout experience. Free instant quotes. noxmetals.co
You could place an order at 5pm and get metal in the morning, at a super competitive price! Locations vary
Get:
>Material certs and specs
>Delivery time and multiple options
>24 hour or less lead time
>The value of Nest, our AI nesting software saving American builders money
>Download PDF quote
>Share with team members
Use ZANE20 for $20 off
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Heads turned earlier this month when a defense startup you'd never heard of raised at a $600M valuation. It makes a little more sense today with their $99M IDIQ 😉
This contract for their body-worn drone detector isn't even their primary product line! Much more soon.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
The 2207 might be one of the most versatile motor form factors in small autonomous systems.
It became ubiquitous through FPV because it sits at a useful intersection of power density, responsiveness, weight, and cost. The same characteristics that make it great for racing drones translate directly into much broader applications.
The obvious use case is propulsion for small, high-performance UAVs. But 2207-class motors are increasingly useful anywhere you need high RPM, fast transient response, and meaningful power from a package weighing only a few dozen grams.
That opens up applications in compact blowers and pumps, reaction wheels, small robotic joints, high-speed mechanisms, test equipment, and auxiliary actuation.
FPV created enormous demand for this motor class and autonomy is expanding the design space for it.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
MOTH is a compact ruggedized spectrum analyzer being used both to keep troops safe in the field and for domestic drone testing and operations.
Heaviside is just getting started🫡🇺🇸
The U.S. Army has awarded Heaviside Industries a contract worth up to $99 million for its MOTH handheld spectrum analyzer.
The indefinite-delivery contract runs through August 27, 2031, and covers the procurement, fielding, upgrades and maintenance of the system.
MOTH is a compact spectrum analyzer designed to detect radio-frequency signals on the battlefield. It covers frequencies from 5 MHz to 6 GHz, allowing it to detect a wide range of drone control links, radios and other communications systems.
The device weighs less than 1 lb (0.45 kg) including its battery and is roughly the size of a large smartphone. It features built-in direction finding, allowing users to determine the approximate direction of detected signals, as well as GPS, a display and vibration alerts.
The system is designed for use in demanding field conditions and can operate in temperatures ranging from 14 to 131°F (-10 to 55°C).
Notably, a single MOTH unit reportedly costs around $4,950 through retailer Lumenier Z.
The contract was awarded after the Army received 99 bids. Heaviside Industries is based in Marina del Rey, California.
#USArmy #ElectronicWarfare #EW #CounterUAS #CUDS #Drones #DroneWarfare #SpectrumAnalyzer #MOTH #DefenseTechnology
Charlie Leggate retweeted
The brushless motor is to the modern drone battlefield what the horse was during the Civil War. A ubiquitous propulsion system providing distinct advantages for reconnaissance and attack. 🐎
Charlie Leggate retweeted
I spoke with a dozen founders and operators on background at Europe’s major defense startups and neoprimes.
Accessible and realistic testing ranges are rate limiting European rearmament: “It’s just embarrassing”, he said...
Read the essay below:
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Lots of chatter about multi-stage funds dipping earlier into seed. But at least in hard tech, keep seeing the same sub-$100M funds win the best deals. Scrappy. Hustlers. Deeply networked. Move fast. Big balls. No committee theater. They know the founders, factories, and customers. And when they see something, they fucking move. Multi-stage will keep pushing down market. Still think the best small funds lap them.
Speed + guts + access is a hell of a venture strategy.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
I'm grateful to share that we've raised an $11.5M seed, led by amazing folks at Greycroft and Also Capital @nunzi46 .
The team has moved at a blistering pace over the last 5 months, and I’m excited to share more with the world on where we see this going.
Introducing Atlas
We're building motion systems for drones, robots, and autonomous machines.
Our work is in service of our customers who work factory floors, tend farmland, move medicine, and defend our country.
Atlas is built to supply them quickly, and supply them in volume. Their progress should no longer be held back by a motor or actuator.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Introducing Atlas
We're building motion systems for drones, robots, and autonomous machines.
Our work is in service of our customers who work factory floors, tend farmland, move medicine, and defend our country.
Atlas is built to supply them quickly, and supply them in volume. Their progress should no longer be held back by a motor or actuator.
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Never Compete. I was on with someone from our team at slow talking about competition recently… ‘how do you compete in venture capital’, etc… win deals. My honest philosophy?
I hate competition professionally (love it in sport, but not business)…. And I think competition is especially stupid in early stage venture capital, where you are competing over / crawling over each other for out of the money call options on things that almost certainly will not work.
Early stage VC competition on deals almost by definition leads to over-pricing / overpaying … and it also demonstrates a fundamental lack of creativity. Egotistically, if you want your money to matter / to make a difference, you want to be funding otherwise unfunded opportunities — where you see something others don’t… where money is most expensive, commands the highest return AND - to put a nice spin on it - where the money matters the most.
So if you find yourself in a competition over a seed deal, IMHO you are a bad capitalist / limiting your returns, an un-creative person / a mere ‘market participant’ (yuck), and also misusing the incredible mandate and license you have to find things and make them happen in the world.
You have to be careful about seeing mirages, because some things / most things are not funded because they are actually bad.. you can’t like things just because they are unliked… BUT your job is to have discipline in the wilderness / in the wander, and as the game evolves … both as a capitalist, and egotistically as someone who realizes how awful it is for your tombstone to say ‘market participant’
Charlie Leggate retweeted
Couldn’t agree more!
Never Compete. I was on with someone from our team at slow talking about competition recently… ‘how do you compete in venture capital’, etc… win deals. My honest philosophy?
I hate competition professionally (love it in sport, but not business)…. And I think competition is especially stupid in early stage venture capital, where you are competing over / crawling over each other for out of the money call options on things that almost certainly will not work.
Early stage VC competition on deals almost by definition leads to over-pricing / overpaying … and it also demonstrates a fundamental lack of creativity. Egotistically, if you want your money to matter / to make a difference, you want to be funding otherwise unfunded opportunities — where you see something others don’t… where money is most expensive, commands the highest return AND - to put a nice spin on it - where the money matters the most.
So if you find yourself in a competition over a seed deal, IMHO you are a bad capitalist / limiting your returns, an un-creative person / a mere ‘market participant’ (yuck), and also misusing the incredible mandate and license you have to find things and make them happen in the world.
You have to be careful about seeing mirages, because some things / most things are not funded because they are actually bad.. you can’t like things just because they are unliked… BUT your job is to have discipline in the wilderness / in the wander, and as the game evolves … both as a capitalist, and egotistically as someone who realizes how awful it is for your tombstone to say ‘market participant’
Charlie Leggate retweeted
We're proud to receive an @ENERGY Genesis Mission Funding Award in support of developing a self-optimizing digital twin for compact laser plasma accelerator driven light sources with @BerkeleyLab.
This investment positions our team to pursue discoveries that were previously out of reach and to deepen the collaborations that drive breakthroughs that accelerates the advent of advanced light sources for semiconductor manufacturing.
We’re humbled by the support and trust given to us by @ScienceUnderSec.
We’re in a New Age of American Science
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION IN THIS MATTER 🇺🇸🦅 – at Berkeley, CA
