E54 – Pryzm: AI to understand the Pentagon

Mike sits down with Matt Hawkins and Nick LaRovere,co-founders of Pryzm.

Pryzm is building an Operating System for defense innovation—software that uses AI to generate capture intel to make sense of Pentagon budgets, Congressional legislation, program offices, and much more.

It’s AI to understand the Pentagon.

They help connect the dots between missions, markets, andpeople to power the future of national security.

Links
• Sign up for the newsletter⁠ (themerge.co)!
• Support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ (patreon.com/the_merge)!
• Pryzm (pryzm.io) homepage pryzm.io

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00:00
01:43 intro
02:30 origin story
05:57 disclosure
07:07 2 PMs
08:47 Air Force tanker program
21:47 Golden Dome
28:12 sales vs business development
33:04 proactive vs reactive
34:59 intel to flip the script
37:56 a bubble?
41:18 flat toplines
43:05 requested vs executed
46:38 fundraise
48:27 DIU project
50:58 2026 outlook
55:29 outro