TBD Touchpoint (Mar 13)

Attendees: Dustin J Ross, Bliss Perry Date: March 13, 2026 Type: Partner Session

Summary

Palantir alumni network approach
- Speaker B in unique position as current student/alum hybrid
- Can use network “innocuously” while maintaining current role
- Need to be strategic about deployment of this asset
- Default to aggressive but smart outreach approach
Michelle Volz targeting
- Former Palantir (~12 years ago), 32 mutual connections
- Plan: Ask Gio Saba for introduction (talent management/network building focus)
- Connected to defense-adjacent campus people
Technical differentiation focus
- Need patent-worthy innovation for credibility with technical investors
- Platform interoperability across different datasets as key differentiator
- Question: What will make PhD-level computer scientists want to invest?

Immediate follow-ups
- Holland: Send recap message about SpaceX supply chain intro
- Felter: Try Monday morning instead of Friday evenings for better response
- Weinstein: Push to after break, no follow-up until then
Strategic pausing
- 390 documentation should be output of strategy, not input
- Academic cover strategy needs development
- Mom test research for better customer discovery approach
Upcoming meetings
- McMaster meeting (30 min) - national security focus, intro Dustin
- Burke meeting Thursday lunch next week
- Ahmet follow-up - eager to engage on event study work

Need to identify patent-worthy technical innovation
Platform interoperability allows sector switching (semiconductors → other areas)
AI integration questions for current generation of engineers
Balance between technical sophistication and practical application
Focus on extracting golden nuggets from customer conversations vs just relationship building