Ed Brzychcy

Over 100 Companies Are Building Killer Robots for the Pentagon. I Found the 20 That Will Actually Survive. Last week, a defense startup CEO told me something that made me think. "We're not competing with Lockheed anymore. We're competing with 100 other startups who think they're the next Anduril." He's right. And 80 of them will be dead by 2027. I spent three months mapping autonomous defense companies chasing DoD contracts. From Silicon Valley AI labs to Boston robotics shops to D.C. consultancies pivoting to hardware. etc. The carnage has already started. Twelve companies that raised Series A rounds in 2024 are out of money. Three that won SBIR grants can't scale production. One with $50M in funding just lost their entire engineering team. But 20 companies are making headway. And they all share the same DNA. The Pattern Winners don't build for the Pentagon. They built for the 19-year-old Marine who has to use their tech while getting shot at. One company embedded engineers with combat units for 6 months. No contract. No promise of payment. Just learning how operators fight. Result? Their drone requires two people to operate. Competitors need 12. Skydio delivered drones with 70% capability in 3 months. By month 12, they'd pushed 47 software updates based on combat feedback. Traditional contractors were still writing requirements documents. Winners treat manufacturing like a weapon system. Anduril built factories before winning major contracts. Saronic designs boats for mass production, not perfection. Firestorm 3D-prints drones in the field. The traditional primes? Still treating production as an afterthought. The Math Current reality: • 100+ companies chasing autonomous defense contracts • Combined VC investment: $8.7B since 2020 • Total addressable market by 2027: $12B • Winners needed to capture 80% of the market: 20 That's 80 companies fighting over table scraps. The Survivors Based on my analysis, here are the 20 that are leading the charge: The Platforms (One brain, infinite applications): Anduril, Shield AI, Applied Intuition The Swarmers (Quantity as quality): Skydio, Saronic, Blue Water Autonomy The Specialists (Owning one domain): Hermeus (hypersonics), Epirus (directed energy), True Anomaly (space) The Builders (Manufacturing as moat): Firestorm, Forterra, Terminal Autonomy The Enablers (Making others deadly): Scale AI, Vannevar Labs, Rebellion Defense The Wild Cards (Different playbook): Joby (VTOL), Reliable Robotics, Mach Industries The rest? They're building impressive tech, but many will never see combat. Your Move If you're supplying these 20, you'll ride the wave. If you're competing with them, you have roughly 18 months to pivot or perish. Find your unique slot. The autonomous defense revolution isn't winner-take-all. It's winner-take-most. And the winners are already emerging from the pack.

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3 steps to navigate the DoD’s hidden power structures There is no front door to the Department of Defense. Only a maze of stakeholders who don’t speak your language If you’re a startup trying to break into defense, you already know the feeling: • You demo • They’re impressed • Then… nothing That’s because most founders approach the DoD like a single buyer. But Giles W. - retired Marine and former AWS mission lead - says federal traction happens when you solve for three separate power centers at once. Here’s how he breaks it down for early-stage teams: __________________________ Step #1: Earn trust at the edge This is the warfighter (the end-user who actually needs your tech) They’re the ones facing the problem you solve. But showing up with a sharp demo isn’t enough. You have to: • Solve an actual operational pain • Prove usability in the field • Get them to advocate up the chain Without their support, your tech’s just another line in a white paper. __________________________ Step # 2: Speak procurement to the PM Program Managers are the system owners. They hold the purse strings and care about: • Compliance • Integration • Risk Giles calls this the most overlooked gatekeeper. Founders win by mapping capabilities directly to what the PM’s protecting—not just what the warfighter wants. Your job is to make their job easier. __________________________ Step # 3: Align to a senior leader’s mission (without wasting their time) Senior leaders aren’t blocking you, they’re buried. “Clobbered with time,” as Giles puts it. You need to: • Show clear strategic fit • Help them visualize outcomes • Never over-explain This is where mission relevance, timing, and optics meet. __________________________ Most founders sell to the DoD like it’s one person. It’s not. It’s a three-headed buyer. And you only break in when you earn the trust of all three. That’s how Giles now helps pre-Series A companies survive federal. This is just the map outline. Giles walks you through the terrain. Listen to the full episode of The Amplified CEO https://lnkd.in/ea2sS8w5

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As someone who has navigated the transition from military service to civilian life, I’m often asked a common question: What’s the one thing that will make you successful in this next chapter The answer isn’t about having the perfect resume, landing the ideal job, or leveraging the skills you gained in the military. Instead, the most critical factor in achieving success after service is something far less tangible: embracing vulnerability. 1. You're trained to be tough, self-sufficient, and mission-focused during military service. These traits are invaluable on the battlefield but can become obstacles when stepping into the civilian world. In the military, showing vulnerability or asking for help can be perceived as weakness—a stigma that, over time, becomes ingrained. However, in civilian life, vulnerability is not a weakness; it’s a strength. It’s the foundation of genuine connection, growth, and success. 2. One of the hardest parts of transitioning to civilian life is letting go of the ego that was necessary in the military. The attitude of "I've been there, done that" can hinder your ability to adapt to new environments. Civilian life is different in every way—leadership styles, communication methods, and even the pace at which things get done are worlds apart from what you’re used to. By clinging to your military identity too tightly, you might miss out on learning, growing, and integrating into your new surroundings. 3. Vulnerability is often misunderstood as a weakness, but it is a powerful tool. It is being vulnerable means acknowledging that you don’t have all the answers and may need support. It’s about being honest with yourself and others about your fears, uncertainties, and challenges. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you invite others to connect with you on a deeper level. This connection can lead to valuable relationships, mentorship, and opportunities you might not have found otherwise. In a civilian environment, where networking and relationship-building are crucial, vulnerability becomes a gateway to success. 4. Asking for help can feel like admitting defeat, especially for someone who has spent years in a culture that prizes self-sufficiency. But in civilian life, asking for help is not just acceptable—it’s expected. Ultimately, the best thing you can do during this transition is to be honest with yourself, accept that you may not have all the answers, and reach out when you need help. ___________________________________ If this post resonated with you, I’d be grateful if you could like it and follow me (Tony Grayson) for more insights and veteran videos. And if you’re feeling generous, a repost would mean the world. Thank You! 👍 Infrastructure Masons Nomad Futurist Northstar Enterprise + Defense US Navy Navy League of the United States #veterans #veteransupport #veteranshelpingveterans

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Anduril Just Won $159M to Give Soldiers Superhuman Vision. Microsoft's IVAS Walked So They Could Run. The Army split $350M+ between Anduril and Palantir-backed Rivet for mixed reality helmets. Winner takes all in 18 months. Let's talk about what "superhuman" actually means here. Soldiers see through walls. Track drones 3km away. Command robot swarms from their helmet. All while seeing friendly positions, enemy threats, and mission data overlaid on reality. Microsoft spent years and $2B failing at this. Too heavy. Too buggy. Soldiers puked while wearing them. Anduril's different approach. • 260,000 hours of soldier feedback built in • Software updates in 15 minutes (was 24 hours) • Meta handles AR, Qualcomm does edge compute • Lattice platform runs the whole show The partner list reads like Silicon Valley invaded the Pentagon. Palantir for data. L3Harris for comms. Maxar for satellite imagery. 14 companies total building an open ecosystem. Rivet got $195M for their competing prototype. May the best goggle win. Field tests hit in 2026. Hundreds of units. Real combat scenarios. Ukraine has already proved that mixed reality works. Now we're scaling it. The kicker? This isn't about better night vision. It's about making every soldier a one-person command center. When you can task drones, see through smoke, and coordinate fires from your helmet, the squad becomes exponentially more lethal. Traditional defense would've taken a decade to prototype this. Anduril's shipping in 18 months. Contractors? They need ruggedized displays, AI processors that work at 130°F, and mesh networking that survives EW. If you build components that don't break when dropped from a helicopter, call them. Microsoft walked away from $22B because they couldn't make it work. Anduril thinks they can do it for $159M. Place your bets.

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Coming next week, in conjunction with #Reindustrialize, the Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Report. We don't need to preach. We all know the national and national security imperative to build a defense manufacturing base. Yet the defense (and the broader) industrial base is facing a generational challenge: how do we meet rising demand for everything from shipbuilding to microelectronics to hypersonic missiles — when workforce shortages, supply chain fragility, and innovation gaps persist? That’s the question we explore in our upcoming market intelligence report: “Advanced Manufacturing for Defense: A Strategic Landscape of Regional Ecosystems.” We analyzed 384 manufacturing clusters across the U.S. and mapped over all manufacturing spend + advanced manufacturing. What we found: ✅ Top-performing metros like Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, Seattle, and Boston are emerging as strategic hubs — with deep vendor ecosystems, strong workforce pipelines, and dual-use innovation potential in AI, robotics, advanced materials, and semiconductors. ✅ Critical ecosystem gaps remain — including security-cleared talent shortages, complex regulatory hurdles (like ITAR and cybersecurity), and high barriers for SMEs to adopt AMT. ✅ We outline key strategic actions to boost regional manufacturing readiness, align incentives, and accelerate the transition of dual-use tech to fielded systems. 🔬 This report is designed for innovation leaders, DoD decision-makers, regional planners, and investors looking to understand where and how advanced manufacturing capacity is scaling — and how to direct resources for maximum national impact. DM me if you'd like to get a preview report or if you want to build a report custom for your local region. #manufacturing #advancedmanufacturing #DefenseTech #IndustrialBase #RegionalInnovation #ManufacturingUSA #DualUseInnovation #SupplyChainResilience Mike Slagh Benjamin Kohlmann Stephen Rodriguez Jesse Levin Orlando Zambrano Alejandra Y. Castillo Kate Waimey Timmerman

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Just hosted Navy veterans John McGunnigle and Michael Hunter from Spear AI on the MILCOM Founders Podcast. John commanded submarines and created Project Harbinger (now a Navy program of record). Michael worked Navy intelligence and Project Maven before they teamed up to build a 50-person maritime AI company. Two key insights from our conversation: John: "Leadership translates from military to civilian, but you have to adapt to different personalities and situations." Michael: "Every detail matters. You can't be a big picture person without understanding implementation details." They started in February 2020 - talk about timing. But they bootstrapped, found customers, and recently closed their seed round. One Degree Financial donated $100 to the Dick Loges Veteran Entrepreneur Scholarship Fund for their participation. Listen: https://lnkd.in/gxf43RTe #MILCOMFounders #VeteranEntrepreneurs #SpearAI #MaritimeAI #NavyVeterans #DefenseTech #MilitaryTransition #Entrepreneurship

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Congress just moved to compress defense acquisition from decades to months. (Link in comments) Last week, the FY26 NDAA passed the House at $848B and the Senate is pushing $913.9B. Beyond the topline, the SPEED Act strips out 100+ hurdles and creates a clear path for commercial tech to reach programs of record in 3–6 months. A final bill is expected after conference this fall, likely signed in December. Key provisions: 🏎️BOOST program: direct on-ramps for proven commercial solutions 🤖AI pilots: funding for generative AI projects and governance frameworks 🦾Cyber/software: SBOM requirements and modular, open interfaces 📄Contracting: expanded OT and CSO authorities with a “start with commercial” bias For defense tech and dual-use startups, this is the most important shift in years. Sales cycles shorten, compliance expectations sharpen, and commercial design principles become the new baseline for government buyers. Link in comments for more details.

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A Small Maryland Company Just Won $150M to Secure America's Most Classified Networks. Owl Cyber Defense, a Columbia-based small business, secured a $150 million sole-source contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory. Their mission? Keep our most sensitive military data from crossing into enemy hands. Here's what makes this contract fascinating: The Technology That Can't Be Hacked Owl builds "data diodes"—hardware that physically enforces one-way data flow. Think of it as a digital valve that lets information flow in only one direction. No software exploit can reverse physics. Their Cross Domain Solutions (CDS) enable: • Voice and video transfer between classified and unclassified networks • Real-time Full Motion Video feeds for ISR operations • XD Vision for secure data visualization. Why Sole-Source Matters The Air Force specifically wanted Owl's technology for the "Minerva user community," likely a specialized intelligence group needing bulletproof security. The contract structure tells the story: • IDIQ ceiling: $150M over 5 years • Initial obligation: Just $10K (classic government move) • SBIR Phase III: They proved the tech works, now scale it. The Hidden Opportunity Owl started as an SBIR company. They used government R&D funds to develop proprietary technology that became indispensable. Now they own a niche the Pentagon can't live without. For small businesses watching: This is the SBIR-to-sole-source playbook in action. Step 1: Win Phase I SBIR ($150K) to prove your concept Step 2: Win Phase II ($1M) to build a prototype Step 3: Transition to Phase III production contracts Step 4: Become the sole qualified source What This Signals Cross-domain security is exploding. With cyber threats from China and Russia escalating, the Pentagon needs more ways to share classified data without risking compromise. Markets to watch: • Secure ISR data sharing ($2B+ annually) • Multi-domain operations ($5B by 2027) • Zero-trust architectures ($8B market) The brutal truth? Traditional network security failed. Software firewalls get breached. But physics doesn't lie. Hardware-enforced security is the future. Owl just locked in $150M building technology that can't be hacked because it obeys the laws of physics, not code. Sometimes the best cybersecurity is a one-way street.

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👀 Recruiters in the Cleared GovCon Space (or just in general), Here’s What’s Working for Me. Quick disclaimer: these aren’t “the best 3 things out there.” But they are 3 things I’ve noticed that make a massive difference when the market feels tough and candidates are harder to come by. 1️⃣ Consistent Outreach Not just when you have a hot req. Daily touchpoints, steady LinkedIn activity, and follow-ups compound over time. Consistency builds trust and keeps you top of mind. 2️⃣ Personalized Outreach Templates are fine as a baseline, but nothing beats taking 60 extra seconds to connect the role to someone’s background. People can spot “copy-paste” a mile away. Personal touches = higher response rates. 3️⃣ Play the Numbers Game Recruiting is math. The more outreach, the more conversations. The more conversations, the more submissions. The more submissions, the more hires. Don’t get discouraged when the ratio feels off — keep pushing volume and let the numbers work in your favor. At Metronome, we see daily that this market is versatile and competitive. Staying disciplined on these 3 points has helped me big time. 💬 Curious to hear from my fellow recruiters — what’s one thing you’ve been doing consistently that’s moving the needle? Ricky Derring II Chase Valentine Sean Goody Stephanie Holman, M.Ed Allie Smith 🇺🇸 Janine Chafee Brooke Weinert Virgil Virga Cristian Cuadras

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