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In Today’s Issue:
Intro to the Guest and Topic
Core Takeaway
Episode References
Select Quotes
Key Moments
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Today’s Topic & Guest:
Jakob Diepenbrock | Discipulus Ventures
America used to build things. In a real way. Once the dot com boom happened, that changed in a lot of ways.
Instead of physical products, people started ‘making’ heaps and heaps of B2B SaaS startups. Seeing the potential ROI that an infinitely scalable software company could make, all of the money from investors went into this space. Thus leaving very little investment for people building hardware.
On top of it, there were not many people building hardware because it wasn’t sexy.
That’s all changing now.
There is huge momentum now and energy behind building physical things. Building back up America’s industrial might. Reindustrializing America! 🇺🇸
Our guest, Jakob, runs an accelerator and fund called Discipulus Ventures in El Segundo. The birth place of SpaceX and a place where there are more machine shops and manufacturing might in a small area than anywhere else in the US (fact check me please).
Broadly speaking, we talked about the importance of Catholics founders to build hard things, to lean into our divine calling, keeping spiritual life alive during particularly busy times, and how he chooses to live out his faith and even invite the founders in his cohort to mass.
I’ll also note, there is a big theme around the similarities between pursuing sainthood and building huge companies that impact the world.
NOTE: If you’re looking to build a company that helps the future of America, consider applying to the next Discipulus Ventures cohort (here).
Don’t Waste Your Parish’s Money
A mismanaged budget is a headache in business. In the Church, it’s a tragedy. Every dollar wasted on a poorly run construction project is a dollar taken from the mission.
When your parish or diocese is building something, goodwill isn’t enough. You need professional, unyielding stewardship.
Our Father Constructors and Associates acts as your expert owner’s representative. They support projects from $1M to $45M. Cristian and his team manage the architects, protect the capital, and find the money you didn’t know you were losing. They ensure what you build today serves the Church for generations.
Run your parish’s next project like a pro.
👉 Visit ourfather.us or email cristian@ourfather.us today.
Core Lesson:
Real purpose drives you further than market opportunities ever will.
Building hard tech requires grit, massive capital, and an insane amount of perseverance.
When you build simply to make money or chase a hype trend, you tend to hit a wall the moment things get hard. But if what you do is driven by what you think your divine calling is, you’ll have a divine reserve of energy. After all, if God has called you to something, how can you fail with His help.
God Bless & Happy Building!
~Silas Mähner
Is Your Money Being Stewarded — or Just Managed?
What is God calling you to build?
That’s where Tom Rooney and Matthew Mohlman start their conversations. They work with Catholic business owners to bring real stewardship to their finances across retirement plans, private markets, and wealth management.
Tom and Matthew want to extend an invitation for an estate health check with their team. Think healthcare directives, powers of attorney, risk and insurance gaps... your spouse will thank you!
PS: Tom and Matthew aren’t just advisors — they’re Catholic founders themselves, building this alongside guys like us.
Key Episode References:
Companies & Organizations
People
Literary Works & Media
Wild at Heart - John Eldredge
(Full disclosure: We use affiliate links. If you buy through them, we earn a small commission that helps fund this project)
Scripture
Select Quotes:
“I think hard tech and American animism industries are more suited towards people that care about the country and the values that America stands for and the West stands for.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
“Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward, you are serving the Lord Christ.” - Jakob Diepenbrock (quoting Colossians 3:23-24)
“I think there’s been this resurgence of young people who want to build real things that matter and are driven by values that are important for the country.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
“A life of virtue does include... not lying about anything, following through with what you say. And I think that is like what matters in building a company.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
“What we should do as Christians is live our lives to the fullest, obviously in a context of pursuing virtue in that.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
“I think you can’t be influential in the world unless you have some kind of impact in your personal life and in work life as well.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
“You should learn faith from the saints and from Jesus... and you should learn how to go and build something hard from Elon or whoever.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
“We should also be striving for: how do we be the best at business and also be the best in our faith.” - Jakob Diepenbrock
Hire Catholic Overseas Talent
In LatAm and the Philippines, there are millions of Catholic remote workers (across all domains) who want to work for ethical bosses.
Often, they’re treated as second-class citizens or work for organizations that ask them to do questionable things. They reach out to us in search of a Catholic boss.
So, we started ParacleteVA (website coming soon).
With ParacleteVA, we’ll find you vetted, Catholic overseas talent who will help you move your business forward.
How it works: Pay a $500 finders fee when the candidate starts and $500 if you’re still happy with them after 30 days.
To get started, reach out to catholicfounders@gmail.com with what you’re looking for, and we’ll get started.
Key Moments: (outline)
(00:38) - Intro: Silas introduces the episode’s core theme and guest Jakob Diepenbrock.
(03:19) - Welcoming Jakob: An overview of Discipulus Ventures and the hard tech residency model.
(04:39) - Jakob’s Background: Exploring early side hustles and working at Steve Ballmer’s family office.
(08:22) - El Segundo Hard Tech: Breaking down the massive shift back toward physical manufacturing and defense.
(12:57) - Launching the Fund: Scaling an MVP accelerator program into a $30 million second fund.
(20:54) - The Founder’s Advantage: Why practicing virtue creates more resilient startup teams.
(24:05) - Solving Righteous Problems: How to avoid building net-negative technology for society.
(28:43) - Balancing Faith: Jakob shares his daily routine of Mass and prayer while managing heavy startup demands.
(31:21) - Aspiring to Greatness: The necessity of finding high-achieving mentors who excel in both business and faith.
(35:17) - Funding Magnificence: Why the wealthy possess a unique duty to execute massive, world-altering projects.
(38:14) - Rapid Fire: Discussing Colossians, Peter Thiel, and lessons from Palmer Luckey.
(47:01) - Outro: Final calls to action for Discipulus Ventures and the Catholic Founders Guild.
