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Do the thing you can't not do. 

Channel 39 Ventures is a venture studio that backs unlikely founding teams building the outlandish thing they can't not build.   

Whether you have a prototype, a wild idea, or just the itch to build, we’ll help pressure-test the solution and market, assemble the team, raise smart money, and get you moving.   

We don’t care if you’ve started a company before. We care that you need to start this one.

What We Do

BUILD

We create ventures in-house, incubating ideas we believe should exist. Our playbooks come from experience, not theory.

INVEST

We invest our own capital and connect startups to a network of early-stage venture partners we trust. Many are deep in dual-use, defense, and critical infrastructure.

ADVISE

We help founders make the strategic calls that matter most, navigate financing strategies, and build exit paths. 

About Us

With the Dive Technologies playbook as our foundation, we’re accelerating the creation of generational companies with untraditional, values-aligned founding teams.

Sam Russo

Co-Founder, Partner

Bill Lebo

Co-Founder, Partner

Liam Forland

Chief of Staff

We’ve backed, advised, or helped build companies solving problems in autonomy, hard tech, advanced manufacturing, and national defense.

Portfolio

We’re here for your Channel 39 moment.

Drop us a note. We’ll be honest if we can help.

Who should reach out

Founders with an early-stage idea in dual-use, defense, or hard tech.

Veterans or operators who see a gap and want to fix it.

Technologists with something quietly brilliant.  

Dreamers stuck in a bureaucracy who are finally ready to break out.