pierre r lamond ( born 1930 ) is a venture capitalist in silicon valley , who has specialised in semiconductors , systems and cleantech .

he was a partner at sequoia capital based in menlo park , california from 1981 until he left to join vinod khosla 's khosla ventures as general partner in march 2009 .

he left khosla ventures in 2013 and joined eclipse ventures as a partner in 2014

pierre lamond

pierre lamond is a member of the eclipse investment team . prior to that , pierre worked with formation 8 , khosla ventures and sequoia capital .
in addition to making angel investments , pierre is an advisor to formation 8 .
pierre lamond , a silicon valley veteran , was planning to retire from sequoia capital this year . instead , mr . lamond , 78 , has decided to join khosla ventures , the venture firm founded by vinod khosla .
it’s been known for some time that sequoia capital’s partner mark kvamme is married to the daughter of sequoia partner pierre lamond . no big deal , right ?
pierre lamond , an icon in the silicon valley world of venture capital , has joined khosla ventures , the venture firm run by another highly respected venture capitalist vinod khosla .
now it emerges that , through reporting of pe week’s alex haislip ( sorry the full version is subscription only ) , that david lamond , son of pierre ( pierre pictured here ) , is an investor at hedge fund artis capital . another family connection , and again , who cares ?
pierre is a native of france . he graduated with a bsee and ms in physics from toulouse university .
pierre lamond is a pioneer of the semiconductor industry . he started his career in 1957 as an engineer at transitron electronics before joining dr . gordon e . moore’s r & d team at fairchild semiconductor . while at fairchild , pierre oversaw the development of advanced high - frequency transistors and the first generation of digital integrated circuits .
arthur conan doyle : a memoir by rev . john lamond ( john murray , 1931 )
“this is not a lightweight commitment on pierre’s side , ” yu told me by phone . “he will come into the office , mentor partners and entrepreneurs and advise on investments… we wanted to have as much of pierre as we could . ”
advisor , investor pierre lamond is a pioneer of the semiconductor industry . he started his career in 1957 as an engineer at transitron electronics before joining dr . gordon e . moore’s r & d ; team at fairchild semiconductor .
that company , called soladigm , uses semiconductor processes to make the glass . lamond
was a founder of national semiconductor ,
khosla notes . he added :
pierre is a very technical person . we ' re doing a lot of that kind of stuff .
pierre left fairchild in 1967 to cofound the national semiconductor corporation ( nsm ) , where he was vice president and general manager , integrated circuits . following ceo roles at coherent radiation and advent , pierre returned to national semiconductor in 1977 to assume the role of chief technology officer and vp , general manager of advanced products .
after leaving khosla ventures after its last fund , silicon valley icon pierre lamond has resurfaced in a new role . the veteran venture capitalist has taken an advisory position at formation 8 , the three - year - old venture firm founded by joe lonsdale , jim kim and brian koo .
lamond is a pioneer of the semiconductor industry . he started his career as an engineer at transitron electronics before joining dr .
pierre spent three years as a general partner at khosla ventures serving on the boards of skybox imaging ( google ) , cogenra , seeo , avogy , seamicro ( amd ) and heartvista . pierre was one of the founding members of eclipse and currently works with : kindred , flex logix , diassess , cerebras , and light .
of course , the public coffers can only profit if a firm like sequoia does well , and sequoia did do well ( in contrast to most venture firms , which aren’t doing so well ) . but it’s important that the public be aware if its investments in venture firms are riddled with favoritism , especially if firms aren’t doing well . pierre lamond reportedly lost $ 250 , 000 from his personal investment in the cks group , an ad agency , which was run by mark kvamme ( pictured here ) in the late 1990s . it was also a time when lamond’s firm was taking money from uc . even then , lamond’s son , david , was partaking of lamond’s investments .
, the leading developer of reconfigurable rtl ip cores and software , today announced that it has appointed industry - veteran and eclipse ventures general partner pierre lamond to its board of directors , effective immediately . lamond joins the growing list of well - known executives at flex logix , a fast - growing silicon valley start - up that has developed an innovative reconfigurable rtl platform that will change the way chips are designed today and in the future .
in 1981 , pierre joined sequoia capital as a general partner , where he played a pivotal role in the expansion of the semiconductor , systems , and software portfolios . while at sequoia , pierre was chairman of the board at cypress semiconductor ( cy ) , microchip semiconductor , vitesse semiconductor , open - silicon inc . , redback networks , verisity , and plumtree . he was also a director at mellanox technologies and xoom . pierre ran , on a temporary basis , engineering departments at cisco systems ( csco ) and c - cube .
lamond , who was a founder of the early chip company national semiconductor , was last year planning to retire from sequoia . instead , he says he was lured away from that idea through conversations with khosla , who impressed lamond with his focus on funding bold , scientific companies .
pierre spent three years as a general partner at khosla ventures serving on the boards of skybox imaging ( google ) , cogenra , seeo , avogy , seamicro ( amd ) and heartvista .
lamond , in an interview with forbes , said he started talking to his sequoia partners about retiring about a year ago . but he began discussions with khosla ventures founder vinod khosla , a brainy sun microsystems co - founder whom lamond said he has known for 20 years , late last year .
angela joined stanford from khosla ventures where she worked on pierre lamond’s team , working closely with both the wider investment team and portfolio companies . angela began her career as a marketing strategist for mccann worldgroup where she conducted market and consumer research for brands such as microsoft , hp , cathay pacific , and the boys and girls club of america .
in 1981 , pierre joined sequoia capital as a general partner , serving as chairman of the board at cypress semiconductor ( cy ) , microchip semiconductor , vitesse semiconductor , open - silicon inc . , redback networks , verisity , and plumtree . pierre spent three years as a general partner at khosla ventures serving on the boards of skybox imaging ( google ) , cogenra , seeo , avogy , seamicro ( amd ) and heartvista .
now , one sequoia partner has decided to look for good times elsewhere , too . incredibly , that partner is 78 - year - old pierre r . lamond , a silicon valley legend who has been at the menlo park , calif . - based firm since 1981 . starting in april , he will begin a new job just across the street with a competitor , khosla ventures .
although we invest anywhere from $ 50 , 000 for a seed investment to $ 10 million , we are not bankers , nor do we hire people who are bankers ,
says partner pierre lamond .
all our people have at least a half - dozen years of experience as engineers or marketers . we are not passive investors . we don ' t just lend money .
yu first got to know lamond after joining youtube as cfo , where the veteran vc was advising the young team prior to their sale to youtube . they worked together again when yu joined sequoia and later when he found himself also at khosla ventures . kim would also work with lamond at khosla ventures before moving on to found formation 8 .
prior to joining sequoia capital , pierre cofounded national semiconductor in 1967 where he held the position of cto and vp advanced products division . from 1962 to 1967 he was with fairchild semiconductor as vp & gm , integrated circuits division .
a few months ago , however , it became clear lamond had left khosla ventures after he was not listed on a regulatory filing related to the firm’s newest fund , and his bio disappeared from the venture firm’s website . at that time , lamond told fortune that he wasn’t retired , and that he might become an adviser to one or two firms .
so when they heard that lamond was leaving khosla ventures , he and yu reached out to see if their mentor would be interested in joining formation 8 . lamond didn’t want the full responsibilities of a partner , but agreed to be heavily involved in the firm . and as part of his advisory role , he’ll be allowed to invest along with formation 8 whenever they choose to back a company .
in march 2009 , his fund was joined by pierre lamond as a general partner , following which they completed fundraising for two new funds to invest in clean - tech and information technology start - ups . they had secured a total of $ 1 billion worth investor commitments which included $ 750 million to invest in traditional early stage and growth stage companies , and $ 250 million for their second fund – khosla seed , to focus on investing in higher - risk opportunities .
mr . lamond recognized his own investment philosophy in mr . khosla’s retro approach , he said . “khosla ventures is going back to the source , to the way venture capital used to be done , ” mr . lamond said . “a focus on growing companies from scratch is what venture capital is all about — not just because this is exciting , but it is also the way to make money . ”
lamond , 78 , is renowned in valley circles as one of the hardest working venture capitalists , but he also prefers to work behind the scenes , and so doesn’t have the same public profile of other big - name venture capitalists , such as khosla or john doerr , of kleiner perkins caufield & byers . ( picture at left top shows lamond in 1967 ; at left bottom is a more current picture . )
lamond will stay on the boards of the three sequoia portfolio companies : luxim , which makes energy - efficient lighting ; santur , a tunable laser company and achates power , which is making a fuel - efficient diesel engine .
lamond has been in tech for more than five decades , getting his start in the then - nascent semiconductor business . he held positions in fairchild semiconductor and its spinoff national semiconductor before entering venture investing in the early 1980s .
khosla told forbes that lamond
adds a lot of great experience to our team .
he said lamond recently became increasingly interested in some deals that khosla ventures was pursuing - - deals khosla described as involving
big technology breakthroughs
in areas such as lighting , bioplastics and biofuels . khosla ventures even has funded a start - up making newfangled window glass that can block light in the summer but let it through in the winter , he noted .
lamond said when he informed his sequoia partners about his decision ,
they were very courteous and very pleasant and wished me good luck .
it is highly unusual for senior vcs to defect to other firms , partly because of the complicated economics of taking stakes in illiquid start - ups - - and dealing with those interests after a partner leaves a firm . khosla said lamond had intended to retire , so sequoia was not counting on his sticking around .
at formation 8 , lamond says he will work to mentor the founding partners and entrepreneurs they invest in . he plans to sit in on board meetings of portfolio companies and offer advice when he can , as well as advising formation 8 founders when they are deciding whether or not to make an investment in specific companies . lamond also hopes to help out with recruiting , especially as the firm is looking to bring on another investment professional to join the team .
“that’s what pierre is uniquely equipped to do , because he has run operations and founded a company , ” he said . “he understands what entrepreneurs are dealing with , can help them with technical problems and engage at a level that an m . b . a . can’t , ” mr . khosla said .
“when i think about someone with pierre’s proven track record , his value - add and legendary reputation… he had his choice to be an advisor or mentor at any company and any firm in the valley . having him on board is another validation of what we’re doing [ at formation 8 ] , ” yu said .
lamond told the new york times that he will not focus on one specific sector but that he is interested in companies that deal with energy storage , lithium - ion batteries , water purification and conservation , carbon dioxide and the transport of electricity . this fits nicely with khosla ventures , because that firm has focused heavily on clean - tech investments . lamond has already invested in a khosla portfolio company , the lithium - ion battery start - up seeo , as an angel investor .
for kim , the experience he brings will be invaluable to formation 8 . even before the advisory role was official , kim says he would reach out to lamond whenever he would get stuck or need advice while working to build the firm .
the move also comes at a time when khosla is trying to raise its first fund from institutional investors , and so lamond is likely to help with that effort . until now khosla has relied on most of his own money to fund companies the firm has supported .
urltoken ' s experience is an unusual one . as lamond points out , sequoia prefers companies entering into markets that are growing very fast or don ' t exist yet .
typically our style of investment is to invest early ,
says lamond .
first , we try to identify potentially profitable sectors of the market before everyone else does . at that point , we can get involved in the seed and first financing rounds , become active at the board level and participate in establishing strategy and start recruiting a management team .
, co - founder and ceo of flex logix .
we look forward to having his contributions at flex logix . this is an exciting time in our company ' s history as we embark on our next phase of mainstream commercialization . pierre ' s experience and industry connections will be key as we execute on the aggressive business plan we have in place .
last , it scrutinizes the management .
we look for a management that drives itself very hard ,
says lamond .
we don ' t want to drive them or be micromanagers . but we are tough taskmasters and want to be associated with a winning team .
mr . lamond will stay on the boards of the three sequoia portfolio companies he is actively involved with , he said . they are luxim , which makes energy - efficient lighting ; santur , a tunable laser company and achates power , which is making a fuel - efficient diesel engine .
frankly , it was time for me to move on ,
said lamond , who will be a senior partner with khosla , a five - year - old firm that invests in traditional high tech but mainly in energy - related companies .
sometimes people stick around too long .
technical experience - - particularly for a firm that invests heavily in semiconductor , chip , networking and internet companies - - is crucial , says lamond , who before becoming a partner at sequoia in 1981 was himself a founder and technical director of national semiconductor nsm and general manager of fairchild ' s integrated circuit division .
“khosla ventures is going back to the source , to the way venture capital used to be done , ” lamond told the new york times . “a focus on growing companies from scratch is what venture capital is all about — not just because this is exciting , but it is also the way to make money . ”
khosla has funded companies like soladigm , which makes window glass that can block light in the summer but let it through in the winter , notes forbes , which also has a good story about the transition . soladigm uses semiconductor processes to make the glass , something that lamond can bring value to , based on his experience .
lamond joined sequoia capital in 1981 and led investments in a number of its semiconductor and infrastructure companies , including cypress semiconductor , microchip semiconductor , vitesse semiconductor , and redback networks . in 2009 he joined khosla ventures as part of its kv iii fund , where he was interested in backing cleantech and research - heavy industrial startups .
“i was really looking at phasing out , but an opportunity like this comes and i thought it was worthwhile , ” said mr . lamond , who was a founder of national semiconductor and an executive at fairchild , advent and coherent . “you’re as old as you think you are , and i don’t feel that i’m 78 . ”
chips & technologies and weitek have avoided direct fabrication of chips , farming out their production to japanese and american companies that have excess fab space . but other startups , like cypress , performance semiconductor , and integrated device technology , have created some of the most advanced fabs in the industry . lamond’s cypress—attacked by sanders—has decisively swept by the
asked why he did not stay at sequoia if he wanted to keep working , lamond said he was
very excited
by khosla ' s penchant for investing
in some very advanced , very risky , research - oriented start - ups .
at sequoia ,
i thought it was time for me to phase out .
he also exudes the stern demeanor exuded by sequoia capital partners , such as co - founder don valentine . the firm is famous for shying away from media attention . it was lamond , for example , who would attend the early board meetings at video - sharing company youtube , and put pressure on the youtube founders , asking them each time how their traffic was coming along . youtube co - founder steve chen once told me it was lamond’s stern questioning — especially whenever traffic tapered off — that kept the founders on the edge of their seats during board meetings , frightening them so much so that they’d do anything they could to make sure traffic kept growing every month .
at sequoia , where he has been a partner for 27 years , mr . lamond focused on semiconductor , systems and software start - ups . khosla ventures , which mr . khosla founded in 2004 , has made a name for itself investing in clean technology and also invests in information technology start - ups . mr . lamond said he will not focus on one specific sector but that he is interested in companies that deal with energy storage , lithium - ion batteries , water purification and conservation , carbon dioxide and the transport of electricity . he has already invested in a khosla portfolio company , the lithium - ion battery start - up seeo , as an angel investor .
the first post - mortem biographies were written by the swedish viktor olsson in 1930 : sir arthur conan doyle : liv och minnen , and by conan doyle ' s friend john lamond in 1931 : arthur conan doyle : a memoir . since then , not least than 23 full biographies have been written and others about parts of his life .
in a memorable encounter at a dataquest conference , jerry sanders , chairman of advanced micro devices , confronted pierre lamond , once a leading figure at national semiconductor and now a leading venture capitalist . “you took my best guys to cypress , ” sanders charged , “and they made 3 million last year on 14 million in sales . fast static rams . big deal . static rams are not exactly a major innovation . [ intel introduced them in 1972 . ] but so far , so good . the problem is what they’ll do next . they succeed by being focused . but all these small firms want to get big , and that means unfocused . after the first 50 million , believe me , it gets much harder . you can’t fill large fabs with niche products . so far these companies have just ripped off the big firms without contributing anything significant . ” 1
according to yu , having lamond’s experience and help is not just a value - add for partners and portfolio companies , but also serves as a bit of validation for the firm’s early success . while just a few years old , its first fund has already seen a couple of exits with oculus and relateiq , and it expects to see many more as time goes on .
lamond tried to laugh off the complaints of sanders and others as merely the maundering of old men who want the world to stop turning as soon as they get on top . that’s an understandable response from today’s young entrepreneurs . but amid the late 1980s carnage in microchips , with the japanese sweeping ahead in some measures of market share , the easy answers beg the question .
“i’m what you might call a consigliere , ” lamond told me by phone . he said he didn’t have a specific charter at formation 8 , but will provide guidance whenever and wherever he can . “when you think about the venture business… you don’t learn that in business school . you need to go through an apprenticeship and the guys at formation 8 know that , ” he said .
tom and justin – your comments are so unjustified and undeserved . do you two really “know yourselves” more than this pierre just because he happens to be good at his job and is solicited to build a great organization based on his experience ? his life’s work is infinitely more important than either of you two’s existence as far as providing resources and opportunity to build companies that offer livelihood to so many people . don’t be philosophically cynical and judging of other people’s desire to do something . in short , get a life .
flex logix has the unique combination of technology , talent , value proposition , and business model to build a multi - billion dollar market cap business ,
said lamond .
now , just nine months after our initial investment , we see the company making incredible progress in both engineering and customer acquisition . i ' m excited to have the opportunity to work with geoff and the team .
sequoia made a killing off its investment into video site , youtube when it was sold to google for $ 1 . 6 billion , and eyebrows were raised when it emerged that the obscure artis capital had also been in on the investment . who were these guys ? one of its partners has since bought the $ 20 million tiburon estate of andre agassi . is it a coincidence that david lamond , who has been with artis since at least 2005 appears to have been among the few to benefit from the youtube investment ? and is it a coincidence that since that time , artis has landed as an investor alongside sequoia in a surprising number of deals , from aruba in sept . 05 , to open silicon in oct . 05 and adbrite in february , to name just a few ?
in october , venture capital concern sequoia capital gathered the ceos of its portfolio companies to warn them about the coming economic meltdown - - and to scare them into slashing costs . the first slide in sequoia ' s presentation at the special meeting was headlined
rip : good times .
the implication ? not all the start - ups would make it .
that all could be interpreted as a backhanded swipe at what most other vc firms - - including sequoia - - are doing these days . khosla , however , called sequoia one of the
great firms in venture capital
and noted that his firm invests alongside sequoia frequently .
but , overall , most vcs are investing in
incremental stuff ,
khosla said , such as new social networking sites , and not backing fundamentally risky technologies .
the venture industry has lost its ability to create a genentech or a sun or a compaq
today .
sequoia has started putting cash into
clean
technology deals but is better known recently for backing web companies . it had a big win when google scooped up online video site youtube for $ 1 . 6 billion . but the jury ' s still out on many of sequoia ' s other , more narrowly focused internet plays , including online messaging site meebo ,
widget
company rockyou and web real estate site trulia .
clean technology , of course , is unproven , too . there have been only a handful of blockbuster
exits
- - meaning initial public offerings or big merger and acquisition deals - - involving clean - tech companies . even khosla acknowledged that his firm had to write off two early investments in corn ethanol companies . the market tanked after corn prices rose , making corn - based ethanol less price competitive with traditional fuels .
meanwhile , khosla ventures is ramping up its operations . though many vc firms are making fewer investments and finding it tougher to raise money in today ' s depressed environment , the firm is raising a new fund worth as much as $ 1 billion and intends to hire more general partners .
khosla declined to comment on any fundraising his firm might be doing . last month , however , calpers , the giant california public employee retirement fund , reported it had committed $ 200 million to a new
khosla ventures expansion fund .
in a document released in conjunction with calpers ' february investment committee meeting , the pension fund said that the new khosla fund was
targeting a size of $ 1 billion
and that calpers would be the fund ' s anchor investor . it is unclear when the new khosla fund might close or how successful khosla ventures has been in drumming up cash from other investors . many big pension funds , endowments and charities are facing liquidity problems and have little extra cash for new venture capital commitments .
calpers said the new fund marks the first time khosla ventures has sought third - party capital . indeed , until now , khosla ' s firm has made investments mainly with khosla ' s own family money . after sun , he made a fortune working as a vc at kleiner perkins caufield & byers during the 1990s telecoms boom . currently , khosla makes many investments alongside kleiner - - a model , presumably , khosla ventures hopes to continue with sequoia .
the ai event of the year for growth marketers . aug . 21 - 22
the best in ai . an invite - only executive event . oct . 22 - 23
sequoia capital is silicon valley’s most respected venture capital firm , having made money from backing yahoo , google , youtube and many others .
again , no big deal , unless of course investors in sequoia’s fund begin to argue that their stakes in companies like youtube are being artificially reduced because sequoia is letting in artis simply for family reasons . we should caution that we know very few facts about the relationships . we contacted both sequoia and artis for comment . however , another common thread is that both firms are obsessively secretive . sequoia did not respond . coo john milani of artis , when contacted , told venturebeat : “we don’t comment on employees or our investments . ”
sequoia took public money from the university of california for decades . while working for the mercury news , we engaged in talks with sequoia and other firms in an effort to obtain their financial performance , which we thought the public investors a right to access , especially given the downturn in the economy and in venture capital . uc , calpers and many other public - backed institutions had invested in vc firms , and almost nothing was known about the money - losing investments the vcs had made . notably , sequoia initially agreed to release its basic data , the so - called internal rate of return , in exchange for an agreement that we not request other , more detailed information about the fund . two days later , sequoia reneged on that agreement , and decided to boot the university of california as an investor for its initial decision to reveal sequoia’s financial performance to the public .
pe week’s haislip points out that there is no evidence ( yet ) that sequoia’s partners invested in artis — which would be of concern for sequoia’s remaining investors . to repeat , we don’t know the full facts on this , but it is a significant reminder that family and relationship ties do matter at a time when many tend to think — quite naively — that meritocracy alone rules in a place like silicon valley .
chad hurley , steve chen and hundreds of the videos that helped turn youtube into a sensation .
let ' s say you ' re in your 20s and you start your first internet company . let ' s say 21 months later you sell it for $ 1 . 65 billion . what happens next ?
at first , not much . some of the money is tied up in escrow , and the traditions of modesty in silicon valley require a period of restraint before you spend in the big , life - changing way that your wealth will permit .
still , the world wants to talk to you . japanese television , argentine newspapers , a bunch of french journalists and what seems like every news outlet in the u . s . friends you haven ' t heard from in a long time send e - mails . hey , how ' s it going ? long time no see ! btw i have this great business idea . . .
and so even though you ' ve just left a photo shoot with an imperious , name - dropping l . a . photographer and ride to the airport in a jet - black escalade , when you arrive at lax , you have to stand in the united economy line because you ' re still flying coach . having removed your shoes to get through security - - an indignity you ' ll never again endure if one day you spend an inconsequential few million on a jet - - you walk past a newsstand to see your company on the cover of wired and gq .
oh , and have you seen fortune ? . . . yeah , we ' re in there too .
and there they are : steve chen , 28 , and chad hurley , 29 , two of the three founders of youtube ( the other , jawed karim , went to grad school last year ) , a couple of boy - men looking out from a magazine and up at themselves in real life . then they board the plane , steve way in the back and chad closer to the front after paying an extra $ 24 for an
economy plus
seat .
such is life these days for chad and steve - - and because they are still young enough to get the occasional pimple , i don ' t mind calling them chad and steve . they are premoguls , near magnates . they foreshadow but don ' t quite yet embody the wealth and power that accompany their role as the new demiurges of the online world . at a gq party in west hollywood , calif . , a few weeks ago , al gore tapped steve on the shoulder outside the bathroom to congratulate him on the success of youtube . chad chatted with leonardo dicaprio , handsome and taller than you think and ashing his cigarette on the floor . but at the end of the night , the youtube boys were hanging with the b crowd , steve eating a burger ( despite a disapproving glare from his girlfriend julie ) and chad drinking until 2 : 30 a . m . with a guy who was in the jackass movies - - not even the main guy . guys , you gotta know when to leave the party . ( when leo does . )
but of course the party is just starting for chad and steve , whose omnium - gatherum of online videos has captivated the web for the past year , at least since a saturday night live digital short called lazy sunday was forwarded millions of times last december , increasing visits to urltoken 83 % . ( if you don ' t know lazy sunday , don ' t tell anyone , particularly anyone under 30 . just quietly youtube it now . )
ouch . that’s a bit of a slap at sequoia , which has enjoyed a reputation until now as one of silicon valley’s most prominent and successful firms . only two other firms rival that reputation , benchmark and kleiner perkins . khosla’s firm is relatively new , founded a few years ago after khosla left kleiner perkins .
however , like other large venture firms , sequoia appears to have drifted slightly from its pure focus on investing in early stage startups . it has raised large amounts of funds for companies that are much more mature .
to many people the lush , leafy enclaves of menlo park ' s sand hill road probably look like just another upscale office park . but to those hopeful entrepreneurs and budding ceos who come here looking for funding and guidance , sand hill road is the pearly gates of silicon valley : if you get in here , you ' re in heaven . if you don ' t , you ' re in the other place .
but the deity here is not god but mammon . that ' s because sand hill road is the home of several of the most powerful and influential venture capital firms in the country . driving in , past the parked mercedes and bmws ; the bustle of federal express trucks ; and , unusual for california , the sight of men and women in sober business attire ; one comes to building 4 , the offices of sequoia capital .
though not as well known to the general public as its neighbor , kleiner perkins caufield & byers , sequoia capital ' s roster of the companies that it has taken public reads like a who ' s who of the information age : cisco systems csco , yahoo ! yhoo , oracle orcl , 3com coms , vitesse semiconductor vtss and apple computer aapl . since its 1972 inception sequoia has raised more than $ 1 . 3 billion to invest in more than 350 companies , of which 100 have been taken public and many more sold .
as partner mike moritz says :
the companies we ' ve provided the original financing for are now worth more than one - third of a trillion dollars .
unlike venture capitalists of the past , which were funded primarily by family wealth , firms like sequoia raise their money mainly from institutional investors , such as large foundations , endowments and universities , as well as very well - heeled private investors . these funds are entrusted to the firm , which then - - using its superior expertise , active involvement and sweat equity - - invests them in promising startups .
the companies we ' ve provided the original financing for are now worth more than one - third of a trillion dollars .
sequoia ' s typical strategy is to invest in companies at the early stages where it can get up to 25 % of the company and play a key role in directing the company ' s strategy and the hiring of the company ' s management team . when the partners consider it appropriate they will take board positions or even act as senior executives at a company . for example , sequoia ' s founder , don valentine , was ceo of cisco until he tapped current ceo john chambers to replace him . what sequoia doesn ' t want is a large equity position , because it believes the best incentive for a company ' s management is to retain the majority stake themselves .
our business is to identify entities too small to be called companies ,
says moritz , who has been at sequoia since 1986 . it was moritz who first came across two young graduate students named jerry yang and david filo when they were working out of a trailer on the stanford campus in 1995 . he is now a member of yahoo ! ' s board . most of sequoia ' s partners immediately grasped the need for a search engine to navigate the new medium of the internet .
a lot of people thought it was lunacy to invest in a company with no technology , no barriers to entry , no management and no discernible source of revenue ,
says moritz .
but there was no doubt in our minds that the internet was a new medium and that a company like yahoo ! that was developing a search engine to navigate it would be needed . but nobody in their right minds imagined that this would be a company with a $ 40 billion market cap .
while not every investment becomes what sequoia calls a
ten bagger ,
investments that multiply more than tenfold after their ipos , sequoia ' s reputation for picking winners has allowed it to raise more than $ 750 million in investment funds from institutional investors , many of whom are in their third decade of investing with the firm . it has also allowed the company to create a network of contacts that touch upon every part of silicon valley , from commercial banks to accounting firms to executive search groups .
equally important , sequoia gives its clients unparalleled access to many of its post - ipo companies . for example , cisco bought netsys in 1996 for $ 79 million and ardent in 1997 for $ 156 million . in 1996 , oracle acquired datalogix for $ 94 million . some companies have acted as investors in early financing rounds , as well : cisco invested $ 2 . 5 million in international networking services inss , which then went public in 1996 for $ 490 million .
they know everyone ,
says john drew , ceo of ins .
their network of contacts between different companies is incredible , and they are very active in selecting management teams , customers , partners , investors , everything . the combination of their contacts , their dedication and their success rate is what convinced me to come on board .
having them involved with you instantly legitimizes your company ,
says larry augustin , ceo of va research , a mountain view , calif . - based startup that sells linux systems . he pursued the sequoia people for three years before they agreed to work with him .
they understood the technology but they just couldn ' t pull the trigger ,
augustin says .
so i started sending them information every week showing how profitable we were , how important linux was , until they committed . it was worth it because they ' re the ones i wanted . money isn ' t the thing they bring to the table . other firms offered more money , but nobody promised the degree of involvement they could .
by its own estimate , sequoia gets an average of 20 business plans every day . while no investments are made without total consensus from all seven partners , few companies were able to secure an investment as easily as urltoken , a startup already prominent in the online music business . michael robertson , urltoken ' s ceo , says that sequoia contacted him .
they were looking for a market leader ,
he says .
in exchange for a minority stake , they gave us $ 10 million , which is the largest investment they ' ve ever made .
second , the firm likes companies that make products people need , as opposed to superfluous items they only want .
third , it looks at how that company ' s product differentiates itself from similar products . does it have proprietary technology ?
they have a reputation as ceo killers ,
says bryan stolle , ceo of agile software , a san jose - based startup that helps companies integrate their supply chains and is currently working with sequoia .
that ' s not fair but they are demanding . these guys are raving capitalists . they ' re very very focused on making money and very very focused on finding companies and management teams that make money . from where i sit , that ' s exactly the kind of team i want behind me .
well , he has reemerged in an advisory role at formation 8 , where he is being reunited with kim and gideon yu , both of whom he had worked with previously .
“we haven’t had the same breadth of experiences he has . he’s literally seen every situation , ” kim said .
sign up for a free crunchbase account to follow and track people you care about .
terms of service | privacy policy | © 2018 crunchbase inc . all rights reserved .
where the person is located ( e . g . europe , menlo park , china )
where the person is located ( e . g . san francisco bay area , silicon valley )
this describes the type of investor the person is ( e . g . angel , fund of funds , venture capital )
this describes the stage of investor this person is ( e . g . angel , fund of funds , venture capital )
for inquiries related to this message please contact support . for sales inquiries , please visit urltoken
if you believe this to be in error , please confirm below that you are not a robot by clicking
i ' m not a robot
below .
please make sure your browser supports javascript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading . for more information you can review the terms of service and cookie policy .
lior founded eclipse to meet the unique and unmet needs of entrepreneurs building startups integrating hardware with software and data .
prior to launching eclipse , lior was founder and general partner at labix , the hardware investment platform of flextronics , the world’s second largest electronics manufacturing services and original design manufacturer . labix brings together startups , oems and technology partners across the entire hardware ecosystem . at labix , lior led investments in companies across : energy storage , wireless / infrastructure , 3d optics , additive manufacturing , and robotics .
lior also co - founded farm 2050 , an agtech collective , with innovation endeavors to address the global food challenge . prior to labix , he was part of the founding team of elementum , flextronics’ proprietary saas platform which was later spun out . before moving to silicon valley , lior was a serial entrepreneur in tel aviv , where he helped build intucell which was sold to cisco in 2012 .
lior is a ( res ) of an elite special forces unit in the israel defense force .
greg oversees all aspects of finance , investment reporting and monitoring , operational , compliance , accounting and human resource functions at eclipse and is also involved in fundraising aspects of the firm .
prior to joining eclipse , greg worked at sequoia capital where he managed financial reporting and operations for funds across the u . s . , china , india and israel . during his time at sequoia , greg was also responsible for developing and reviewing gaap valuation models for portfolio companies across all geographies .
previously , greg was part of the pricewaterhousecoopers ( pwc ) audit practice in san francisco where he focused on financial services clients . in his role with pwc , greg supervised and trained audit team members and worked with multiple investment management and banking and capital markets clients . greg graduated cum laude with a b . s . in business administration with a concentration in accounting from sonoma state university . greg earned his cpa and is a member of the aicpa .
after graduating from arizona state university in 2014 , lily worked as a lead recruiter for the it staffing company , insight global . lily was quickly promoted to become an account manager , managing accounts with leading technology companies such as yahoo , netapp and lockheed martin .
in this role lily clearly demonstrated her exceptional abilities to seamlessly coordinate and schedule a high volume of meetings between clients and potential candidates resulting in customer success and increased new business . lily brings her talent and enthusiasm to eclipse where she managers all office operations .
angela manages investor and portfolio relations for eclipse , including fundraising , lp relations , company communications , and outreach . she joined the team from formation 8 .
prior to joining formation 8 , angela was the director of the stanford entrepreneurship network . while there she mentored stanford entrepreneurs , developed a robust network of investors and strategic advisors and led the communications / outreach strategy . additionally , she was a board member of bases , the business association of stanford entrepreneurial students .
greg has spent his career building and leading teams to help scale technically complex products from initial concept to high - volume production . most recently , greg was tesla’s executive leader of global manufacturing , factory / automation engineering , supply chain , and product excellence . while at tesla , he led growth from low volume roadster production to the fully integrated manufacturing of the model s and x , and a revenue run rate of over $ 8b .
prior to tesla , greg was the senior vice president of operations at sunpower , and led the growth of manufacturing operations from pilot scale to over $ 2b in annual revenue . in this role , he was responsible for the rapid implementation and growth of advanced silicon , cell , and panel manufacturing operations globally . earlier in his career , greg held various roles in manufacturing and quality in the semiconductor industry .
greg has a bs in mechanical engineering from the university of minnesota . outside of work , greg enjoys developing software , diving , and mountain biking .
prior to joining the investment team at eclipse , justin built and led the commercial operations at misfit , a wearable technology company acquired by the fossil group for more than $ 250m . before misfit , justin managed the commercialization efforts in the foods , fuels , and chemicals spaces at synthetic genomics , a leading synthetic biology company .
at sgi , justin’s efforts led to first - in - class technology development , licensing , and commercialization deals with companies such as adm , and other fortune 100 food and chemicals companies .
justin received his bs in chemical engineering from ucsb , and his mba from mit sloan . justin is an avid cyclist and triathlete , and is on the advisory board of cyclekids , a nonprofit focused on strengthening the physical and emotional health of children .
seth is a partner at eclipse where he invests in strong leaders building full - stack hardware technology companies that improve the physical world . he focuses his time on building businesses that use automation technologies to improve the movement of people and goods ; next generation manufacturing technologies , and consumer hardware that pushes the state of the art in machine learning .
his investments include : 6 river systems , clearpath robotics , and marble . additionally , he is a board observer for eclipse portfolio companies : light , kindred , and swift navigation .
prior to helping launch eclipse , seth was an original member of the ge ventures advanced manufacturing investment practice where he invested in robotics , additive manufacturing , and industrial iot technologies . seth is a graduate of claremont mckenna college . he spends his free time running / cycling , snowboarding , surfing , and enjoying the beautiful norcal outdoors .
lior also co - founded farm 2050 , an agtech collective , with innovation endeavors to address the global food challenge . prior to labix , he was part of the founding team of elementum , flextronics’ proprietary saas platform which was later spun out . before moving to silicon valley , lior was a serial entrepreneur in tel aviv , where he helped build intucell which was sold to cisco in 2012 .
, provides solutions for reconfigurable rtl in chip and system designs using embedded fpga ip cores and software . the company ' s technology platform delivers significant customer benefits by dramatically reducing design and manufacturing risks , accelerating technology roadmaps , and bringing greater flexibility to customers ' hardware . flex logix is backed by
based eclipse ventures supports iconic entrepreneurs building vertically - integrated , full - stack companies , incorporating hardware , software , and data . the team is comprised of passionate and experienced individuals with both investment and operational backgrounds . eclipse has made 27 investments to date .


draken international , inc. is a provider of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services including military and contract customers .

it is based at the lakeland linder regional airport in lakeland , florida .

draken offers airborne adversary support , flight training , threat simulation , electronic warfare support , aerial refueling , research , and testing services to the u.s. department of defense , u.s. defense contractors and aerospace firms , provided by a fleet of around 80 aircraft which includes 30 mig-21bis fighters , douglas a-4k skyhawk attack jets and aero l-39 albatros , aermacchi mb-339 tactical jet trainer aircraft ; and the new aero vodochody l-159e .

in recent news , the company announced a $ 6.7 million expansion of its headquarters and repair infrastructure at lakeland linder regional airport .

the company ceo is jared isaacman .

draken international

draken international ranked # 90 on the 2017 inc . 500 list | draken international
draken international’s completes a successful deployment for the usaf air education and training command .
top photo via draken international webpage , photographed by our friend frank crebas / bluelife aviation .
draken international is a provider of tactical fighter aircraft for contract air services including military and contract customers .
with over 80 jets , draken international operates the largest fleet of privately owned tactical aircraft in the world .
draken international ' s l - 39 aircraft are the perfect solution for cost effective , sub sonic missions .
draken international regularly deploys aircraft and personnel to a variety of locations in the united states and across the world .
draken international draken international’s impressive arsenal of aircraft makes it the largest private operator of tactical aircraft in the world . the company was founded as recently as 2011 when it evolved from the black diamond jet team , an airshow performer owned by entrepreneur jared isaacman .
draken international ' s mb - 339cb aircraft are exceptionally low time with limited former use in the royal new zealand air force ( rnzaf ) .
our highly capable aircraft can function to satisfy customer’s requests . draken also has the ability to upgrade our fleet to meet specific demands . draken is also able to deploy its fleet in the global arena and able to work in international airspace . our pilots have the operational experience in all global arenas . please contact draken directly for further information on international opportunities .
contract air services provider draken international is buying eight ex rnzaf mcdonnell douglas a - 4k skyhawks and various other equipment and accessories from the nz government .
draken international has created a new standard in aviation service capabilities for all branches of the united states military , department of defense and allied militaries globally .
lakeland , fl , june 3 , 2018 draken international has been awarded the $ 280 million adversary air ( adair ) ii contract to provide . . .
since 2015 , draken international has been contracted to provide adversary support for the usaf , using its a - 4ks and aero vodochody l - 159e alca fighter jets to replicate numerous threat types .
photo : a draken int a - 4k on approach to nellis . jamie hunter
the people at draken international are the company ' s single greatest asset and absolutely key to successful mission execution . we are committed to a high performance culture that continually challenges each person to rise to their full potential !
draken international creates a new standard in aviation service capabilities for all branches of the united states military and department of defense . with over 50 jets , draken international operates the largest fleet of privately owned tactical aircraft in the world . as an organization , they are uniquely positioned to answer the growing demand for contract air support . the foundation at draken international is superior to the competition in several respects . this includes the quantity and capabilities of their fleet of aircraft , the experience of the management team and the financial resources of the organization . draken is positioned to be a leading defense asset with extensive capabilities in airborne adversary support , threat simulation , aerial refueling , research , testing , as well as other missions suited to their diverse fleet of aircraft .
a draken international a - 4 skyhawk parks on the nellis air force base , nev . , flightline awaiting preflight check on dec . 3 , 2015 . draken is used to support various types of military training objectives around the globe . ( u . s . air force photo by airman 1st class rachel loftis )
the service first evaluated the use of commercial ‘red air’ when it awarded a one - year contract to draken international last september . during the ‘proof - of - concept’ evaluation draken’s radar - equipped skyhawks have been flying sorties from nellis in support of the usaf weapons school and the f - 35 joint operational test team .
draken international , inc . owns and operates commercial fleets . it offers fleets for tactical ex - military aircrafts and supports military training centres . the company was founded by jared isaacman in 2012 and is headquartered in lakeland , fl .
in 2015 , draken international flew its a4k fighter jets as simulated adversaries during operational testing of the f - 35 at edwards air force base , the first instance of any commercial air services company providing adversary support for the f - 35 .
draken currently supports the national test pilot school , international test pilot school , us air force test pilot school and the us naval test pilot school with our fleet of dual seat mb - 339 ' s , ta - 4k and l - 39 ' s . our fleet of dual seat jets and instructors provide an ideal platform for the test pilot schools to train domestic and international pilots .
the american draken international company is interested in purchase of up to 28 pieces ( 24 complete and four incomplete ) for 21 . 72 up to 25 . 8 mil usd while the final price could vary depending on real technical conditions of machines .
the us air force plans to release a solicitation to industry for a massive 40 , 000 hours of contracted aggressor support training at 12 different bases . it comes following a year - long experiment at nellis afb , nevada , for draken international .
at its sessison this week , the czech government approved sale of 28 subsonic l - 159 alca aircraft to us draken international company while discussion over prolonged lease of sweden - made saab 39 gripen supersonic aircraft postponed until a new czech government is formed .
this contract , which began in march of 2015 and extends through to september of 2017 , has provided a new standard of service to the usmc , and draken international has been praised by marines ; from the operators on the ground , up to the hq level .
draken will use the aircraft to support us department of defense training activities , providing realistic training and threat simulation .
draken customers go beyond just government entities within the department of defense . the major defense contractors all have requirements for flight services . draken supports many of these companies in the form of photo chase , pod r & d , weapon release tests and avionics testing . draken helps these organizations with their research data and past performance to win contracts .
every hour draken operates an aircraft in place of a military asset is another hour remaining on the life of that aircraft .
draken international has exploded onto the commercial adversary support market in the last half decade , and is now the largest private air force in the world . yet this flying outfit with an aggressive business plan needs contracts in order to succeed over the long - term . now it appears the usaf is officially giving draken a shot at proving their worth at america’s premier air combat training facility , nellis afb in las vegas , nevada .
draken has worked with each of the us military branches as well as several foreign air forces . the video was produced by the us air force in 2015 and talks about draken’s unique capabilities and qualifications during an evaluation performed at nellis air force base .
the air national guard relied on draken international’s contract air services to support the guard’s annual training exercises for a large scale mission . during the “northern lightning 2015” exercise conducted from june 8 to19 at volk field combat readiness training center in wisconsin , draken a - 4s primarily served in the adversary role . equipped with electronic warfare pods , radars , and gps training pods , they were able to provide a very credible and realistic threat at considerable cost savings .
draken international provides extensive live close air support for usmc joint terminal air controllers ( jtac ) training . aircraft , operating at ranges on both coasts , support jtacs with the delivery of bdu - 33 training munitions , with precision accuracy . this critical service ensures essential training while preserving flight hours on usmc fighter assets and reducing costs .
draken international ' s mig - 21bis and um aircraft bring several important elements to our fleet of tactical aircraft . this includes quantity of jets for large force exercises , as well as supersonic flight and targeting capabilities facilitated by our “jaybird
radar . these high - speed , radar equipped aircraft enable draken international to present accurate and realistic profiles for adversary support . not only are the aircraft ideal for airborne engagements , they are highly effective in cruise missile threat simulation for both the navy and army . the draken mig - 21bis is the last aircraft produced in the series and are extremely supportable . considering the aircraft type is still in service among militaries around the globe , there is no shortage of spare parts and support . this ensures the ongoing supportability and safety of our low - time fleet of mikoyan mig - 21 fighters .
draken international deployed five a - 4ks , with a team of maintenance professionals and expert pilots , to integrate with the air national guard f - 16s participating in northern lightning . f - 16s and personnel from air national guard units from wisconsin , arizona , minnesota and oklahoma all contributed to the training event . flying side by side with the guard f - 16’s , draken a - 4ks performed the role of the enemy . the training was further enhanced by simulated airborne and ground - based threats . for the cost of one f - 16 flight hour , all of aatc’s aircraft executed operational training against five draken aircraft .
services : draken international creates a new standard in aviation service capabilities for all branches of the united states military and department of defense . with over 70 tactical fighter aircraft , draken international operates the largest fleet of privately owned tactical aircraft in the world . as an organization , we are uniquely positioned to answer the growing demand for contract air support . the foundation at draken international is superior to the competition in several respects . this includes the quantity and capabilities of our fleet of aircraft , the experience of the management team and the financial resources of the organization . draken is positioned to be a leading defense asset with extensive capabilities in airborne adversary support , threat simulation , aerial refueling , research , testing , as well as other missions suited to our diverse fleet of aircraft . safety is our top and immediate priority . our fleet of aircraft have been expertly maintained and inspected prior to gaining their airworthiness certifications . draken maintenance technicians engage in faa flight safety meetings and scheduled proficiency seminars and have decades of experience and training to ensure safety is at the center of their decision making matrix . draken international employs world - class , military - trained fighter pilots . the team is comprised of an elite cadre of usaf weapons school instructors , fighter weapons school graduates , top gun instructors , us navy aggressors , air liaison officers , thunderbirds demonstration pilots , and fac - a instructors . our tactical experts have the experience to challenge today ' s warriors for tomorrow ' s fight while continuing to sharpen america ' s edge in current operations around the globe . as the global defense and military climate changes , the need has never been greater for cost - effective and professional contract air support .
every hour that draken operates in place of a military asset delivers a tangible cost savings , representing hundreds of millions of dollars in potential savings .
the usaf currently only operates two aggressor squadrons ; the 18th agrs at eielson afb , alaska , and the 64th agrs at nellis . the 65th agrs , that flew f - 15c / ds , disbanded in 2014 . draken international and discovery air defence services are both offering contractor air services , along with textron , which in 2016 purchased the former atac ( airborne tactical advantage co ) .
safety and security are our top and immediate priorities . our fleet of aircraft have been expertly maintained and inspected prior to gaining their airworthiness certifications . draken maintenance technicians engage in faa flight safety meetings and scheduled proficiency seminars and have decades of experience and training to ensure safety is at the center of their decision making matrix . security is paramount and is why draken international conforms to the same standards that are found at any military installation or government organization . personal , physical and electronic security standards far exceed the government standards and today ' s industry standards .
draken continues to support the multinational f - 35 community including the united states , the royal australian air force , the uk royal air force and the netherlands .
safety and security are our top and immediate priorities . our fleet of aircraft have been expertly maintained and inspected prior to gaining their airworthiness certifications . draken maintainance technicians engage in faa flight safety meetings and scheduled proficiency seminars and have decades of experience and training to ensure safety is at the center of their decision making matrix . security is paramount and is why draken international conforms to the same standards that are found at any military installation or government organization . personal , physical and electronic security standards far exceed the government standards and today ' s industry standards . many draken executives currently hold top secret clearance and understand the responsibility vested in them to protect our nation . draken international employs world - class , military - trained fighter pilots . the team is comprised of an elite cadre of usaf weapons school instructors , fighter weapons school graduates , top gun instructors , us navy aggressors , air liaison officers , thunderbirds demonstration pilots , and fac - a instructors . our tactical experts have the experience to challenge today ' s warriors for tomorrow ' s fight while continuing to sharpen america ' s edge in current operations around the globe .
general corley retired from the air force after more than 36 years leading aerospace organizations throughout the u . s . and abroad . he is an experienced strategic planner and a skilled international collaborator in the planning and development of major weapons systems .
through draken’s operating partner in the south of france , secapem flies aermacchi mb - 339’s and a - 4 skyhawks for aggressor and ship defences for the french navy .
a third outfit—florida - based draken international , which boasts a fleet of more than 50 jets—actually succeeded in importing some 27 russian - built mig - 21 fighters to use for training purposes . in addition to the migs , the company operates some 11 douglas a - 4k skyhawk attack aircraft—but those aircraft are upgraded with electronics including a radar from upgraded european - operated versions of the f - 16 fighter jet . draken’s fleet also includes nine italian - built aermacchi mb - 339cb advanced trainers , 28 czech - built aero vodochody l - 159e light combat jets , and five l - 39s .
the draken fleet of twenty - five mig - 21s brings a sustainable and needed supersonic capability to many mission sets including fleet defense , adversary support and other forms of threat replication . tactically relevant engagements are achieved when combing large quantities of our mig - 21bis aircraft with draken ' s highly capable , radar equipped fleet of tactical fighter jets .
with a fleet of 150 tactical fighter aircraft , draken owns and operates the world’s largest commercial fleet of tactical ex - military aircraft . draken supports military training objectives around the globe , providing tremendous cost savings over the use of traditional military fighter assets . as an organization , we are uniquely positioned to answer the growing demand for contract air support .
draken ' s modernized mirage f1m is a supersonic radar equipped fighter jet suited for all air - to - air , air - to - ground and ship servces mission sets .
draken international’s performance include aggressor operations in support of the us navy test and evaluation squadron nine ( vx - 9 ) . the task orders , some of which are classified , involved a - 4 skyhawk aircraft engaged in training exercises against navy f - 18e / f hornets and surface ships while carrying ea / ew pods . this includes a variety of r & d training exercises for active electronically scanned array ( aesa ) radar development .
september 19th , 2016 – draken international continues to exceed capacity expectations with the successful deployment of 18 tactical fighter aircraft to holloman afb from september 9 - 17th . throughout the week , draken maintenance flawlessly supported 32 missions daily with pilots flying a 16 x 16 flight schedule in numerous platforms to include a - 4ks , a - 4ns , l - 159s , l - 39s , mb - 339s , and f - 5s . this increase in flying volume is an industry first and is a true testament to draken’s commitment to expanding its fleet to meet growing demands . with aircraft based throughout the country , draken deployed assets to alamogordo , new mexico beginning september 9th and staged operations out of holloman afb . these dedicated missions were flown over the white sands missile range in support of japanese chu - sam ( kai ) testing , a medium range surface - to - air missile similar to the us army’s patriot missile . this significant test required multiple flights at various altitudes and airspeeds in an effort to challenge the chu - sam system . draken developed intricate plans that put the japanese defense system to the test with safe yet contested presentations with unrivaled capacity .
between june 25th and july 1st , draken international deployed six a - 4 skyhawk’s from nellis afb , along with 28 pilots and maintainers , and flew 36 sorties in support of f - 35 upgrade training for aetc and coalition instructor pilots as well as usaf f - 16 requalification training . draken’s a - 4 skyhawk’s are equipped with apg - 66 radars , which replicate 4th generation aircraft capabilities and proved to be a credible opponent for luke’s f - 35s and f - 16s . “utilizing a reliable and low - cost 3rd gen platform with 4th gen capabilities , allows draken to provide a practical , sustainable and most importantly cost effective solution to an extraordinary demand for red air across all services . with the recent announcement of the usaf contract , draken has now been entrusted to deploy in support of other us air force commands at the discretion of the 57th atg commander . i have a feeling this will be the first of many deployments outside of our home base at nellis” states nick “cat” guttman , draken project officer for this recent deployment . guttman went on to explain , “air forces around the globe are quickly recognizing the need for adversary aircraft and draken is the solution ; we provide contract air support at a lower cost yet still represent a highly capable adversary that can help maintain the edge warfighter’s need to fight tomorrow’s war . ”
, 1295 ( fed . cir . 2008 ) ( quoting gardner v . toilet goods ass’n , 387 u . s . 167 , 171 ( 1967 ) ) ; texas bio - & agro - defense consortium , 87 fed . cl . at 806 . withholding consideration of this issue will not harm draken , as the conduct that it complains of may not ultimately persist or prejudice draken . this court will not review the agency’s denial of draken’s agency - level protest draken argues the agency’s protest decision was irrational and that the agency “failed to provide a coherent and reasonable explanation that justified its decision to deny draken’s protest . ” pl . mot . for judgment on the ar 30 - 33 . in the bid protest realm , the court of federal claims is not an appellate tribunal empowered to directly review protest decisions of the agency or the gao . cf . honeywell , inc . v . united states ,
the navy has clearly realized the potential for using contractor air support , but until recently the usaf only modestly embraced such services . that was until it was announced in late september that draken international had been awarded a contract to provide such services at nellis afb . matt bannon comments : ‘we have seen signals of an increased demand from the usaf and that it is willing and moving towards contractor air services — we feel it’s the next burgeoning market . ’
draken international employs world - class , military - trained fighter pilots . the team is comprised of an elite cadre of usaf weapons school instructors , fighter weapons school graduates , top gun instructors , us navy aggressors , air liaison officers , thunderbirds demonstration pilots , and fac - a instructors . our tactical experts have the experience to challenge today ' s warriors for tomorrow ' s fight while continuing to sharpen america ' s edge in current operations around the globe .
following over a year of successful & sustained flight operations for the us air force and us marine corps , including the weapons instructor course , red flag , joint operational test team , and jtac schoolhouse , draken international , with the largest fleet of commercial fighter aircraft deployed in support of the air education and training command ( aetc ) . draken a - 4 skyhawk aircraft , equipped with 4th generation capabilities , was tasked to turn up the heat and deploy to luke afb , delivering essential adversary support to the largest fighter wing in the world . the purpose of the mission was to provide red air support for aetc 4th & 5th generation fighter jets and norwegian’s elite f - 35 instructor pilots .
over the past 21 months , draken has dramatically ramped up its capabilities and overall missions . as the largest flying organization at nellis air force base , draken operates a fleet of 22 l - 159s and a - 4s , logging over 3 , 400 flying hours in support of combat training . if supporting weapons school , red flag exercises , and operational test missions wasn’t enough , draken continues to be a leader within the commercial air service industry , performing simultaneous operations which include a permanent presence in france and deployments to luke afb , leeuwarden air base ( the netherlands ) , mcas cherry point , and mcas yuma .
in the nearer future there are other opportunities for cae in canada . the requirement for contracted airborne training services ( cats ) is still active , despite the recent extension of the existing contract with discovery air defence services . cats covers the provision of aircraft to undertake fighter and electronic adversary missions and related tasks such as forward air controller training . cae teamed with draken international to bid for the contract . although originally to have been awarded last year , the new contract is now scheduled for a decision later this year .
lakeland , fl . ( 08 / 16 / 2017 ) - draken international , a global leader in advanced adversary air services , was ranked as the 90 th fastest growing private company in the us on inc . magazine’s 2017 inc . 500 list . the company achieved stunning 3 - year revenue growth of over 4 , 000 % to earn a spot in the top 100 on this prestigious annual ranking . the company’s revenue growth made it the 9th fastest growing private company in the government services category and the 6th fastest growing private company in florida .
2000 – 2003 director , global power programs , assistant secretary of the air force for acquisition , headquarters u . s . air force , washington , d . c . directed , planned and programmed over 200 air force , joint service and international programs . represented the u . s . as chairman , european multi - national fighter program .
, 1370 ( fed . cir . 2002 ) ) . the error alleged by draken in this protest is that the agency’s delay in conducting the procurement , coupled with its operational readiness requirements for both type iii and type iv aircraft , makes the solicitation anti - competitive . if these alleged errors had not occurred , i . e . the agency had met its original anticipated award date and not delayed the procurement process , draken could have – as it did – submitted its offer and met the solicitation terms , expensive though they were . only after the agency extended the anticipated award date by almost a year did the requirements for type iv aircraft become financially prohibitive . 7 as draken submitted the [ * * * ] bid and [ * * * ] atac in the technical risk category , draken had a “substantial chance” of being awarded the contract , but for the alleged defect in the procurement process – unduly restrictive solicitation terms and prolonged delay . the fact that draken has allegedly unresolved ens does not alter this conclusion as the en process has not been concluded . 7 the requirement to supply both type iii and type iv aircraft became impossible for draken to meet once , after delay , it lost its surprise subcontractor . dec . 8 , 2014 oral arg . tr . at 23 : 3 - 7 ( describing how draken was able to originally submit a proposal due to finding a “surprise” subcontractor , who has been “unable to stick with it throughout these extensive delays” ) . 9 standard of review for bid protests the court evaluates bid protests pursuant to the administrative procedure act’s standard of review for an agency action . bannum , inc . v . united states ,
the large force training exercise was initiated by the 323rd test and evaluation squadron and supported by the joint strike fighter operational test team ( jott ) , from august 17 through 28 . draken flew as many as five a - 4ks simultaneously as adversaries against royal netherlands air force f - 35 aircraft , as well as royal netherlands f - 16 vipers . this support continues on a regular basis at edwards , with up to seven draken aircraft based there on the ramp at a given time .
draken acquired several a - 4ks from new zealand . these kiwi skyhawks had already been upgraded under project kahu with the apg - 66v7 fire control radar along with radar warning receiver ( rwr ) , heads - up display ( hud ) , hands on throttle and stick ( hotas ) , and multi - function displays ( mfd ) . this all means that the draken a - 4ks emit an electronic signature similar to the air force’s mid - life upgrade ( mlu ) f - 16 vipers . equipped with the latest data bus technology , they can also employ the current generation of laser targeting and electronic attack and warfare pods and deliver them on target . the draken skyhawks can also pass and take gas from “buddy store” aerial refueling equipment .
draken international , sometimes referred to as “the world’s largest private air force” , is a defense contractor formed in 2011 offering flight training , threat simulation , airborne adversary support , electronic warfare support , aerial refueling , research , and testing services to military and civilian aerospace firms . draken provides air - to - air and air - to - ground tactical training and support , air - to - air refueling , and fleet missile defense training . they own a fleet of more than 80 tactical aircraft , including 30 mig - 21 fishbeds , 21 aero l - 159e advanced light combat aircraft ( laca ) s , 14 douglas a - 4 skyhawks , 9 aermacchi mb - 339cbs , and five aero l - 39 albatroses . many of these aircraft have unique 4 th generation threat simulation capabilities including fire - control radars , radar warning receivers , training missiles , and electronic attack equipment .
draken a - 4ks are equipped with pulse doppler radar , electronic attack pods , and ground controllers to provide realistic threat presentations for integrated f - 35 operational testing . the test exercise enabled an initial assessment of fourth and fifth - generation fighter integration , including link - 16 interoperability aspects .
draken ceo jared isaacman is no stranger to the inc . 500 list . his first company , lighthouse network , llc has made six appearances on the list ( under the company’s original name united bank card ) , including five consecutive appearances with # 6 and # 19 positions in consecutive years .
draken provides a range of contract air services to the department of defense and international allies , with services including airborne adversary support , flight training , threat simulation , electronic warfare support , aerial refueling , research , testing , and other missions . with a strategy based upon “build it , and they will come” , isaacman and his team of military veterans have dedicated the last six years traveling the world in search of safe , credible , and capable aircraft to answer the growing global demand for commercial air services . as a result of these efforts , the company now boasts the largest privately owned fleet of fighter aircraft in the world with over 80 fighter jets including mirage f - 1s , douglas a - 4s , aero l - 159s , and mig - 21s , among other aircraft .
the company owns a fleet of aircraft including 11 a - 4 skyhawks , nine aermacchi mb339cbs , 27 mig - 21s , and 21 l - 159s . an important step in building the company was the acquisition of eight a - 4ks from new zealand in 2012 . this comprises nearly the full fleet of royal new zealand air force skyhawks that became surplus after the type’s retirement in that country . extra skyhawks were added to the fleet in 2014 when draken purchased six a - 4ns that were formerly flown by bea systems at wittmund , germany . currently the l - 159 , acquired from the czech republic , is entering the draken fleet .
draken announced a new adversary support contract from the usaf in 2015 , using its a - 4ks and new l - 159s to generate cost savings for the air force by preserving its f - 16s and f - 15s . ‘personally , i am really looking forward to integrating with and complementing the usaf nellis - based aggressors , said col terry ‘stretch’ scott , a recently - retired usaf f - 22 pilot and nellis detachment commander for draken . isaacman added : ‘we feel we are absolutely ready and fortunate to have this monumental opportunity . this is our time to demonstrate the capabilities of our service while still achieving considerable cost savings for the us air force . ’ frank crebas
, 358 ( 1994 ) ) . plaintiff’s claim of undue procurement delay is timely and reviewable while blue & gold prevents plaintiff from challenging solicitation terms , it does not prevent draken from protesting alleged pre - award deficiencies in the procurement process . the delay that draken argues has made the procurement process anti - competitive was not a term of the solicitation . there was no basis on the face of the solicitation for plaintiff to challenge what later became , in its view , an unduly lengthy procurement process . the solicitation stated that the “anticipated” award date was march 1 , 2014 , information that was to be used by bidders as “a basis for schedules and burden ( labor , overheads , g & a ; , etc . ) mid - point calculations . ” ar 586 . plaintiff does not contend that this solicitation term was defective , only that the agency’s subsequent departure from that anticipated date rendered the procurement anti - competitive . as draken is not challenging a solicitation term , but instead the combination of delay in the procurement process with requirements that allegedly became unduly restrictive due to this delay , draken’s protest is timely under blue & gold . plaintiff has not established a violation of cica the plaintiff in a bid protest bears the burden of proving that a “clear and prejudicial” error marred the procurement in question . caci field servs . , inc . v . united states ,
the experience of the pilots is key when it comes to the type of missions the company offers to its clients . next to red air support , similar to the work of aggressor squadrons , draken also delivers air - to - ground , fleet missile defense support , and aerial refueling via a ‘buddy - buddy system’ on the a - 4s .
formerly known as top aces , the company was awarded the newly drawn contract in 2005 to provide the canadian forces with aggressor training . now operating as discovery air defence ( da defence ) , it acquired its a - 4n skyhawks through the takeover of advanced training systems international ( atsi ) of mesa , arizona , in december 2013 . these ex - israeli air force jets joined a fleet of ex - luftwaffe alpha jets in the training arena , and highlighted the company’s ambition to make a footprint into europe .
although this current contract is just a year - long test to see how draken’s ex - royal new zealand air force a - 4k skyhawks and their crews do in the aggressor / adversary support roll , it is only a matter of time until the usaf will have no other choice but to widely integrate commercial adversary support into their “red air” training portfolio .
where draken stands out capability - wise from other commercial adversary support providers , at least for the time being , is that their ex - kiwi a - 4ks bring a relatively modern radar set to the fight . this allows for a more complex and realistic menu of advanced engagement scenarios to be played out during training as opposed to using tactical jets without radars . unlike the vast majority of a - 4 skyhawk types , a - 4k packs the apg - 66 multi - mode pulse doppler radar . a slightly more compact version of the same radar found in the f / a - 16a / bs . draken’s a - 4ks are also capable of buddy refueling and have modern cockpits and weapons interfaces , which could lead to new capabilities in the future .
“this exercise demonstrated draken’s capacity to meet and exceed growing requirements within our commercial industry . we see our aircraft not as platforms , but as continuously expanding capabilities” , states sean gustafson , vp of business development . “in the very near future , we will provide a supersonic , data - linked passive ir shooter capability . the proven capacity flown this past week is second to none in the industry . ”
, 71 ( 1956 ) . however , this is not the argument plaintiff is pressing in this case . plaintiff emphasizes that it is not claiming that the procurement delay here resulted from any arbitrary , capricious , or irrational conduct by the agency . dec . 8 , 2014 oral arg . tr . 13 13 : 13 - 21 . ( “ [ w ] e are not ascribing fault to the agency for the delays . [ . . . ] and it ' s not necessary , in our view , to say that the delays were the agency’s fault . ” ) . draken’s contention that it was treated differently than other offerors is unripe draken argues that the agency treated it unfairly because the agency repeatedly stressed the importance of providing airworthiness data with the initial proposals , yet “appears to have waived the requirement eight months after offerors were required to comply” for [ * * * ] and [ * * * ] . pl . mot . for judgment on the ar 32 - 35 ( emphasis in original ) . plaintiff speculates that the agency may accept this data from other offerors , will rely on this data , and will not afford draken a similar opportunity to provide such data . id . at 34 - 35 . atac submits that draken’s arguments that it was treated unfairly and prejudicially are not ripe because the award has not yet been made . intervenor’s mot . for judgment on the ar at 34 - 35 . the court agrees with atac . this procurement is still ongoing , and the current state of evaluations and discussions is unknown . ripeness is a doctrine of justiciability that prevents the courts , “through avoidance of premature adjudication , from entangling themselves in abstract disagreements over administrative policies . . . . ” abbott labs . v . gardner ,
this is an historic first for the usaf in contracting services on a large scale . the program calls for a flying turn pattern of six aircraft followed by four aircraft . draken has deployed eight a - 4s in support of its year - long contract providing up to 1000 hours of flying for the usaf . the aircraft and aircrew are based on the ramp at nellis and operate side - by - side with the usaf aggressor squadron , the 64th .
, 1384 ( fed . cir . 2012 ) ( citing rex , 448 f . 3d at 1307 ) . as the term denotes , an actual bidder is one who submitted a bid for the challenged procurement . rex , 448 f . 3d at 1307 . 6 while the government argues that draken’s protest of the solicitation terms is untimely , it does not challenge draken’s standing to protest . 8 “generally , to prove the existence of a direct economic interest , a party must show that it had a ‘substantial chance’ of winning the contract . ” orion , 704 f . 3d at 1348 ( citing rex , 448 f . 3d at 1308 ) . there is , however , “ [ a ] n exception to that standard [ ] when a prospective bidder challenges the terms of the solicitation itself , prior to actually submitting a bid . ” id . ( citing weeks marine , inc . v . united states ,
‘we also purchased 21 l - 159e fighter jets . the l - 159e is equipped with the selex grifo - l radar and attack software suite . they are a modern , virtually brand - new fourth - generation fighter aircraft with extremely low operational costs . in both cases , the a - 4 and l - 159 enable draken to provide tactically relevant adversary support but at dramatically lower costs than a comparable military f - 16 or f - 15 fighter . ’
retired , reserve , or air national guard us air force ( usaf ) , us navy ( usn ) , and us marine corps ( usmc ) tactical jet pilots fly draken’s tactical jets . these guys and gals all have patches from the usaf fighter weapons school or topgun or usaf aggressor squadrons or usn / usmc adversary squadrons or , well…you get it . they’re qualified . many of them have even commanded usaf or usn or usmc squadrons , groups , or wings .
canada’s cats is just one opportunity that cae is pursuing in partnership with draken , the two companies having announced a worldwide teaming memorandum of understanding last july . contractorised adversary and target facilities services are seen as a growth area for air arms around the world , with a number of key air forces employing contractorised “red air” . a key opportunity is the raf’s asdot ( air support to defence operational training ) requirement in the uk , and there are others in the asia - pacific region .
the firm’s marketing director garrick ngai is relishing the prospect , but knows there is a little way to go . ‘the f - 16 is a us military asset so it comes down to state department approval . it’s a policy issue . i can say it’s a demilitarized aircraft but it still says ‘f - 16’ on the piece of paper and that is seen as a warplane . it poses the question of , if this goes through , what does it mean for other future demilitarized aircraft ? the jets themselves wouldn’t be coming from surplus usaf stocks , but there are enough itar - ( international traffic in arms regulations ) controlled parts and technical data involved that it needs to go through the us state department . ’
lieutenant general david a . deptula ( ret . ) is a highly decorated military leader who transitioned from the u . s . air force ( usaf ) in 2010 after more than 34 years of distinguished service . he is a world - recognized leader and pioneer in conceptualizing , planning , and executing national security operations from humanitarian relief to major combat operations . accomplished historic achievements and several
firsts
in the command of joint forces , planning and execution of aerospace power , intelligence , surveillance , and reconnaissance ( isr ) , and improved international relationships . he has taken part in operations , planning , and joint warfighting at unit , major command , service headquarters and combatant command levels , and also served on two congressional commissions charged with outlining america’s future defense posture .
it will be interesting to see if draken gets a long - term contract from the usaf to fly as aggressors out of nellis and even expand ts services to other locations . the air force recently and controversially disbanded the 65th aggressor squadrons , the service’s only f - 15 “red air” unit . today the 64th aggressor squadron , based in nellis afb , and the 18th aggressor squadron , based at eielson afb in alaska , are the usaf’s only two dedicated aggressor units left , and both fly the f - 16 . filling in some of the lost aggressor capacity with creative and nimble private contractors seems like a no - brainer . and although draken has participated in smaller air exercises in the past , a long - term contract at nellis , similar to what the navy offers for a portion of its adversary needs , would most likely be optimal . you simply do not need an f - 16 to act as a beyond - visual range target or a cruise missile , so there is plenty of room for efficiency to be found via such an arrangement .
, 177 ( 1997 ) ) . here , whether draken will be treated unfairly and prejudicially compared to [ * * * ] and [ * * * ] is not yet known and cannot be ascertained until the agency selects an awardee . in texas bio - & agro - defense consortium , this court recognized that a proposed site selection was not ripe for judicial review because negotiations over the transfer of the property to the agency had not been concluded and because any transfer of the property was contingent upon congressional funding . 87 fed . cl . at 804 - 06 . this court reasoned that given the uncertainty over what form the potential transfer of land and in - kind contributions from the intervenor to the agency might take and the multiple potential contingencies , the site selection was not fit for judicial review . id . at 806 . similarly , in the instant case , the outcome of what draken claims is an unfair evaluation process has not yet occurred , as the agency is still in the pre - award evaluation stage of this procurement . decl . of philip smith ¶¶ 4 - 5 . the “consummation of the agency’s decisionmaking process” will not occur until award . see nsk , ltd . , 510 f . 3d at 1385 . deciding not to review this alleged unequal treatment does not impose any hardship on draken . “ [ w ] ithholding court consideration of an action causes hardship to the plaintiff where 14 the complained - of conduct has an ‘immediate and substantial impact’ on the plaintiff . ” caraco pharm . labs . , ltd . v . forest labs . , inc . ,
not so busy at the moment are the ‘fishbeds’ , as isaacman observes : ‘we do not operate our mig - 21s . they are very low - time airframes and they include the latest bis models . unfortunately , there has been very little demand from our customers for this type series . the mig - 21 is not known for its maneuverability or endurance . not to mention the radar capabilities are very limited . that stated , they are an extremely low - cost supersonic fighter jet and draken has nearly 30 of them ! they would make a great platform for various saturation scenarios , but as of now , there has been almost no demand for them . they are all stored in our lakeland facility . ’
‘with draken we can provide fourth - generation adversaries ( electronic attack pods , radars , etc ) for a fifth of the operating cost of an f - 16 or f - 15 . that is the value of our service . we deliver enhanced training for a much , much lower cost . if we were to purchase f - 16s , we would not be able to offer any cost savings at all . not to mention , the f - 16as for sale in israel are some of the oldest ones still in service and have virtually no upgrades . so that would mean our military customers would not be saving any money . they would be paying essentially the same cost as they do for their own f - 16s , but with dramatically lower capabilities . it really just doesn’t make sense . if the us government wanted to keep flying against f - 16s , they would not need to turn to private industry to accomplish the service . they could simply use any of the hundreds of f - 16s that are stored in the boneyard that are all better equipped than the f - 16as that are for sale in israel . draken already operates fourth - generation fighter aircraft in our a - 4k and l - 159e advanced light combat aircraft ( alca ) , but at dramatically lower costs than old f - 16as . we deliver the best value in terms of capabilities and price . that is what is really driving the demand for commercial air services in the global market . ’
benefits : comprehensive benefits package including medical , dental , vision , life and ad & d ; , short - term and long - term disability . in order to keep the employee benefits in the medical plan as rich as possible , draken offers the difference card which is funded by the company to pay the majority of the co - pays . the deductible and co - insurance amounts will also be subsidized by the difference card reimbursement program . we also offer flexible spending accounts for qualified health and dependent care expenses , which provide tax savings . eligibility for college tuition benefits and will preparation services . employee assistance program : services include : education , dependent care , legal and financial , lifestyle and fitness management , working smarter , drug & alcohol . unlimited free telephonic consultation with an eap counselor available 24 / 7 . telehealth : connect with a doctor by smartphone , tablet , or computer from anywhere in the u . s .
the purchase of the light but capable l - 159 is an interesting move . while a rival company is considering buying ex - israeli f - 16s , draken continues to offer a cheaper solution with aircraft that it says offer similar fourth - generation capabilities . when asked why isaacman isn’t aiming for the ‘viper’ he explains : ‘we are very familiar with these aircraft [ israeli f - 16s ] and have inspected them several times . most of our pilots have a lot of experience and admiration for the f - 16 . it is a great fighter aircraft . that being said , there are many reasons why an f - 16 is a terrible platform for the commercial air services industry . primarily , our industry only exists based on cost savings . that is why militaries from around the world want our service . globally , the government budgets are shrinking and it doesn’t always make sense for f - 16s , f - 15s , eurofighters , etc to train against each other .
, 1361 ( fed . cir . 2009 ) ) . in the pre - bid context , the protestor can establish a direct economic interest “by demonstrating that it suffered a ‘non - trivial competitive injury which can be redressed by judicial relief . ’” id . ( quoting weeks marine , 575 f . 3d at 1361 - 62 ) . however , where bids have been submitted but an award has not been made , the correct test of economic interest is the “substantial chance” test used in the post - award context , not the “non - trivial competitive injury” test . id . atac contends that draken lacks standing because it has unresolved ens and can no longer meet the type iv aircraft requirement and thus “currently does not have a substantial chance of receiving the contract , but for the alleged error . ” intervenor mot . for judgment on the ar 20 . to satisfy the substantial chance test , a protester “must demonstrate more than a ‘mere possibility that [ it ] would have received the contract but for the [ alleged ] error [ in the procurement process ] . ’” clinicomp int’l v . united states ,
, 443 ( fed . cl . 2013 ) ( “while this court lacks jurisdiction to review a gao decision outright , it may assess whether the gao decision was rational in order to determine whether the procurement action being challenged — the agency’s corrective action predicated on that gao decision — was reasonable . ” ) ( citing honeywell , inc . , 870 f . 2d at 647 - 648 ) . under § 1491 ( b ) ( 1 ) , the court has jurisdiction in bid protest cases “to render judgment on an action by an interested party objecting to a solicitation by a federal agency for bids or proposals for a proposed contract or to a proposed award or the award of a contract or any alleged violation of statute or regulation in connection with a procurement or a proposed procurement . ” 28 u . s . c . 1491 ( b ) ( 1 ) ( 2012 ) . an agency protest is not a procurement . thus , while draken may disagree with the agency’s denial of its protest , the court does not have jurisdiction to review or remand the agency’s protest decision , but instead reviews the agency’s underlying procurement decision or procurement - related actions . in any event , plaintiff’s challenge to the agency’s protest decision here simply rehashes the grounds of protest it pursued in this forum - - which this court rejected without evaluating the agency protest decision . conclusion the court denies plaintiff’s motion for judgment on the administrative record and plaintiff’s motion for injunctive relief . the court grants defendant’s motion for judgment on the administrative record and intervenor’s motion for judgment on the administrative record . the court directs the clerk to enter judgment accordingly . s / mary ellen coster williams mary ellen coster williams judge 15