WHILE OTHER VCs CHASE AI HYPE, THIS FORMER CIA AGENT FOUND A $22M GOLDMINE

Let me tell you about Eric Slesinger – the American VC playing 4D chess while everyone else plays checkers. While the investment herd stampedes toward AI and U.S. defense tech, this Stanford/Harvard grad is quietly building an empire in European defense startups. And his $22M fund is just the beginning.

“I go where others don’t go and do what they can’t do.”

Eric Slesinger, former CIA officer turned defense tech VC

WHY EUROPE? THREE GAME-CHANGING INSIGHTS

Slesinger didn’t just stumble into this opportunity – he identified three tectonic shifts most investors missed:

• Elite European founders hungry to prove themselves on the global stage
• Decades of security complacency creating massive market gaps
• Europe as ground zero for “gray zone” warfare (that shadowy space between peace and war)

THE TABOO THAT CREATED A $5.2B OPPORTUNITY

Here’s the shocking truth: When Slesinger first moved to Madrid in 2022, European VCs would whisper about defense investments like they were discussing something illegal. This cultural resistance created the perfect market inefficiency for a bold investor.

Fast forward to today:

• European defense funding up 24% in 2024 ($5.2B total)
• NATO Innovation Fund backing his vision
• Portfolio companies like Helsing hitting $5B valuations

MEET THE FUTURE OF EUROPEAN DEFENSE

Slesinger’s 201 Ventures isn’t playing small ball. Their portfolio reads like a Tom Clancy novel:

• Delian Alliance Industries – AI surveillance towers spotting autonomous threats
• Polar Mist – Swedish maritime drones with next-gen navigation
• Hypersonics & subsurface mapping – Because the future battlespace is 3D

“These gray zone dislocations are actually a good form of alpha.”

Slesinger on why unconventional warfare creates investment opportunities

THE ULTIMATE BET ON EUROPE’S FUTURE

With Trump’s return raising questions about U.S. commitment to European defense, Slesinger’s timing looks prophetic. The numbers don’t lie:

• 2024 European defense funding surpassed AI investments
• NATO’s 24-nation VC fund actively backing the space
• Geopolitical tensions creating generational opportunities

While other VCs chase trends, Slesinger built a thesis. While they follow, he leads. And as Europe wakes up to its defense needs, this American VC is positioned to win bigger than anyone imagined.