Daniel Hanks is a managing partner at Lavrock Ventures, a firm built around deep ties to the national security world, and he was an early backer of defense manufacturer Castelion before it grew through multiple funding rounds. Before becoming an investor, he was CEO and co-founder of SnapDash, and his Washington, DC roots and operator background show up in how he talks about portfolio companies—focusing on things like manufacturing speed, production readiness, and procurement fit rather than abstract hype.