ALFA Field Notes

Demo Day

Many leading, young defense technology companies were in Washington yesterday to take the stage at Capitol Turnaround in 15 minute intervals to introduce and demonstrate their products’ capabilities in front of an audience of government officials, investors, and the overall Washington ecosystem. This was Manifest: Demo Day, an event produced by LongWalk Technologies and its co-founders, Mike Slagh and Landon Bell. In all, nearly three dozen companies presented their work.

From a rocket motor propellant manufacturer, to autonomous naval vessels, to secure mobile networks, (just to name a few) these companies and founders are at the leading edge of new capabilities for America’s war-fighters operating in a constantly-changing environment.

Many founders are former servicemembers themselves who, informed by their lived experiences, are working to provide technology that is practical and in working order 99.99 percent of the time.

This was an event unlike most in Washington. But it is exactly the type of event we need more of. Some of the most impactful interactions you have while in government are getting outside of the beltway and interacting with the people who are working to make their communities or country a better and safer place.

But in a nod to the mission of the companies themselves, Manifest took out the logistical complications and brought America’s next defense technologies right to our doorstep.

BYD’s Battery Breakthrough

If you’ve been following the global car chase, you’ll know that domestic OEM’s have been raising alarm bells over the advancements of Chinese automakers, such as BYD and Geely.

Yesterday, BYD punctuated this progress when it unveiled a megawatt-class EV charging technology of 1,000 kW charging speeds – double Tesla's capability – offering 249 miles of range from just five minutes of charging.

The surface area of competition extends far beyond automobiles. From EVs to AI chips to space technology, Chinese firms like BYD, Huawei, and DeepSeek are rapidly closing capability gaps across sectors where America has historically dominated.

The pattern is clear: initially, growth via imitation, followed by legitimate innovation. Then, with massive scale domestically and serious global market capture. America's response must match this urgency.

The energy infrastructure agenda championed by the Trump administration, and regularly shared by ALFA, represents the foundation needed to power our technological dominance. But we must move faster. The window for securing America's technological leadership is narrowing. As BYD's founder stated, they've achieved something unprecedented – "the first time in the industry that the unit of megawatt has been achieved on charging power." While our bet is that we will still win this race through a superior innovation ecosystem, venture capital markets, and entrepreneurial spirit, we need fewer barriers and more builders.

See You Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum will join a live conversation with Breitbart’s Matthew Boyle in Washington, DC. There are still a couple of seats left so if you would like to attend, send an RSVP to [email protected].

This event comes on the heels of yet another inspection of the changing media landscape, which Breitbart has been charging towards for over a decade.

But even beyond media, we see a similar dynamic playing out across other parts of Washington — including the policy and advocacy space. In addition to events like Manifest and Breitbart’s entry into live events, the other marquee gathering this week is today at the third annual American Dynamism Summit hosted by Andreessen Horowitz with a keynote from Vice President JD Vance.

We don’t see this as a blue / red distinction but more of an old / new distinction. And it’s one that already came for politics and media … and soon enough it’s coming for the rest of “professional” Washington.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.