# Rule 1 Ventures

> Rule 1 Ventures is an Atlanta venture capital firm that combines early-stage investing with hands-on company building. It began by co-creating B2B SaaS businesses in logistics, fintech, cybersecurity and other operationally dense markets, and now publicly emphasizes aerospace and defense technology. Its pitch to founders is unusually practical: capital plus operators who can help with product, engineering, go-to-market, finance and execution.

- **Founded:** 2019
- **Headquarters:** Atlanta, United States
- **Founders:** Todd Ehrlich (Co-founder and General Partner), Gary Buxton (Co-founder and General Partner)
- **Team size:** Approximately 63 employees in supplied company data; public directory estimates vary, while LinkedIn lists the company-size band as 51-200.
- **Products:** Defense Tech Fund, SaaS Studio Fund, Portfolio operating support
- **Notable:** Built a portfolio spanning vertical SaaS, cybersecurity, logistics, financial software, aerospace and defense., Publicly lists eight current defense and aerospace portfolio companies: Askari, Composite Energy Technologies, Drove Aeropower, General Sense, OneNav, Orion Edge, Mantis Space and Roboze., Supported TruckerCloud with a cross-functional operating team after its 2021 investment and strategic partnership.

## Products & services

- **Defense Tech Fund** — Early-stage investment in aerospace and defense companies, generally from pre-seed through Series A, paired with national-security expertise and industry access.
- **SaaS Studio Fund** — A venture-studio model that co-founds vertical B2B software companies and supplies shared product, engineering, go-to-market, finance and operating resources.
- **Portfolio operating support** — Hands-on help spanning product management, software development, sales, marketing, customer success, finance, legal coordination and operations.

## Achievements

- Built a portfolio spanning vertical SaaS, cybersecurity, logistics, financial software, aerospace and defense.
- Publicly lists eight current defense and aerospace portfolio companies: Askari, Composite Energy Technologies, Drove Aeropower, General Sense, OneNav, Orion Edge, Mantis Space and Roboze.
- Supported TruckerCloud with a cross-functional operating team after its 2021 investment and strategic partnership.
- Co-led Mantis Space's oversubscribed 2026 seed round of more than $10 million.
- Assembled an advisory bench that includes former senior military, intelligence, defense-industry and technology leaders.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Rule 1 Ventures participated in Askari Defense's $9 million seed round for hand-launched autonomous counter-UAS interceptors.
- **2026-03** — Rule 1 Ventures co-led Mantis Space's seed financing of more than $10 million for orbital energy infrastructure.
- **2026-03** — Roboze announced an investment from Rule 1 Ventures to expand AI-driven distributed manufacturing for defense and critical infrastructure.
- **2026** — Rule 1's public website foregrounded an early-stage aerospace and defense mandate and listed an eight-company sector portfolio.

## Links

- Website: https://r1vs.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rule-1-ventures

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rule-1-ventures
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-15