As America Celebrates its 250th, DefenseTech & GovTech Take Center Stage
As America celebrated its 250th birthday, headlines reported on an investment “boom” in startups focusing on national security. 🎆
Ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend, Fortune reported on the “defense tech boom,” noting that VCs had deployed a record $19.8 billion into the sector across 262 deals in the first quarter of 2026, according to PitchBook. (That number in Q1 2024 was $5.7 billion, and in Q1 2025 was about $17 billion.) Tectonic reported in early July that the H1 total for 2026 was a record $35.6B invested in defense and defense-adjacent startups, a total number which included space, quantum, semiconductors and microelectronics, advanced manufacturing, and energy (primarily nuclear) startups, and a 40% increase from 2025.
Monica Zent is a LegalTech pioneer, entrepreneur, investor, and founder of ZentLaw, one of the first Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs) in the United States. She writes about LegalTech, artificial intelligence, legal operations, venture capital, enterprise innovation, and the future of legal services. Through her thought leadership, speaking engagements, and advisory work, Monica helps organizations and investors navigate emerging technologies and the evolving legal landscape. Learn more about Monica, her work, and her latest insights at MonicaZent.com.
-
LegalTech Goes Global! (Part 2)
In just the past two weeks, since publishing Venture Legal’s LegalTech Goes Global (Part 1): As VC-funding startups rapidly scale globally, this week’s edition of Venture Legal is Part 2 of the LegalTech Goes Global series. This week I’m exploring: Follow me on Substack and subscribe to read the featured story! Venture Legal,…
-
LegalTech Goes Global! (Part 1)
When Business Insider, reporting that LegalTech funding had crossed $1 billion so far this year, curated a select list of 10 LegalTech startups, two hailed from outside the U.S. – Sweden’s Legora, which had an $80M raise in May, and Britain’s Luminance, which had a $75M round in February. This week’s edition of Venture Legal…
-
”Where Do the Dollars Go Next?” Funding, Adoption & Competition in LegalTech
“A foundational shift is underway in the legal sector – driven by generative AI, rising cost pressures, and a new wave of founder-led innovation,” wrote Alumni Ventures’ Clare Brandfonbrener this summer. “But this won’t be a winner-take-all market,” she notes. Amid rapid AI-driven change, big startup funding rounds, and intense competition for market share, in…
