In the present we take for granted the past. In science, we take for granted that we stand on the shoulders of giants – those who sought truth, or maybe fame, and in return gave us progress. We take for granted scientists the world over who, throughout history, sought safety and freedom on U.S. shores.
In family, we take for granted ancestors who sacrificed so much for us. In citizenship, we take for granted the good fortune that has us born or arrive into a country – itself built upon waves of arriving immigrants, all seeking somewhere better, escaping somewhere worse.
At Lux, we are a team of ethnically and religiously diverse Americans: Pakistani, Iraqi, Kashmiri, Australian, Vietnamese, Iranian, and Israeli; Jewish, Muslim, Christians, Catholics, and Atheists. We have very common values and very diverse views and we are grateful we live in a country where the freedom to debate is among our many freedoms that are defended.
Amid the distractions of daily divisive and rancorous politics, we take for granted the grand arc of history towards improving conditions and ever-expanding freedoms, rights and opportunities to ever more diverse people. And we take for granted the history of all those who have sacrificed – in hard-fought wars, foreign and civil – for ideas and ideals greater than themselves to give us progress.
In high-growth technology, from radio and radar to satellites and semiconductors, from lasers and rockets to GPS and voice recognition – we take for granted that so much of it came directly from demands in defense.
Lux has long funded founders and technologists advancing capabilities useful for our defense, including drones on land, sea, and air (Saildrone, Aria, AirMap, Hangar, DRL); satellites and rockets (Planet, Kymeta, Orbital Insight, Astranis, Relativity); semiconductors (Mythic, Everspin, Flex Logix); artificial intelligence (Clarifai, Primer); radar (Echodyne); and perimeter security (Evolv).
And we take for granted that everything we and our diverse and often foreign-born entrepreneurs get to do in this country all depends on its very strong defense. We can invent technologies that solve vast challenges in healthcare, energy, transportation, manufacturing, and computing. We can recruit talent the world over. We can rely on a stable currency and the ability to access highly mature and efficient capital markets. We can assemble complex supply chains, while sourcing and selling products in dozens of foreign countries. We rely on rule of law to protect inventions and contracts. All of this is possible because our national security remain steadfast.
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