Defense Unicorns, A Podcast

About Defense Unicorns, A Podcast

Welcome to Defense Unicorns, A Podcast for mission focused innovators. We educate, inform, and provide mission heroes with DevSecOps, cybersecurity, and organizational transformation stories from the world's leading problem solvers. Join our hosts Rob Slaughter, Michaela Flatau, Rebecca Lively and Luke Shabro on this journey building connections across the the defense community.

Publisher

Robert Slaughter, Michaela Flatau, Rebecca Lively and Luke Shabro

Category

government

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Mar 2022

Latest episode

25 Sept 2025

Latest episodes

17 of 46 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   25 Sept 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Teaming for the Mission: Why Collaboration Wins in Complex Environments with Bob Ritchie and Lauren Knausenberger

   Lauren Knausenberger and Bob Ritchie of SAIC join host Rob Slaughter, CEO of Defense Unicorns, to talk about what it takes to drive meaningful innovation in defense at scale. With roots in both the Pentagon and SAIC, they unpack how mission-first thinking, public-private collaboration, and a deep respect for open ecosystems are reshaping the future of national security. From startup partnerships to acquisition reform, this episode blends grounded insight with big-picture perspective.

2. 

   19 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Why Contributing to Open Source Matters for the Mission

   Brandt Keller joins host Rebecca Lively to talk about what it takes to deliver secure, resilient software in disconnected, mission-critical environments. A former Marine turned CNCF ambassador, Brandt shares how his frontline experience fuels his passion for open source and solving tough infrastructure problems. He unpacks the government’s complicated relationship with open source, the risks of being just a consumer, and why designing for air-gapped systems makes everyone’s software better. From Kubernetes contributions to cereal-soup debates, this episode blends real-world insight with a touch of fun.

3. 

   5 May 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Shipping Software Faster and Safer with Pepr

   On this episode of The Defense Unicorns Podcast, host Rebecca Lively sits down with Case Wylie, Software Engineering Lead, to talk all things Pepr—a TypeScript-based operator framework reshaping secure software delivery in air-gapped environments. Case shares how Pepr streamlines Kubernetes operations while empowering developers to move fast without sacrificing safety. From nightclub metaphors to GitOps integration, this conversation unpacks how standardizing security posture can reduce friction and boost team velocity. They also explore the importance of open-source collaboration and what it takes to build tools that scale across some of the world’s most demanding environments.

Inside a recent episode

Teaming for the Mission: Why Collaboration Wins in Complex Environments with Bob Ritchie and Lauren Knausenberger

Published 25 Sept 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And so one of my questions for you, sort of, for really both of you and maybe this time around, we'll start with you, Bob, is what was really the trigger point for this like new wave of defense tech startup interest? Certainly, I've been serving in the military prior to being at the Fenshinocorns. 10 years ago, there's certainly one as many defense tech startups as there is today. What do you think changed? Yeah, I think for me, and it was really about six years ago with the Defensive Innovation Board put out the swap report, which was a really powerful, well articulated framing of how software is different. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

19 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

18 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

50

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

97

Contact Defense Unicorns, A Podcast

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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