2,000 Defense Tech Startups Fail in the Valley of Death Every Year

Are You Built to Cross the
Valley of Death?

Not because they lacked tech, talent, or funding.

They failed because they found they built the wrong product after it was too late.

At Warfighter Ready, we connect innovative founders directly to operators so they can mold their product to the mission and set their company up for success from the start.

We connect startups directly to operators can develop faster and get on contract sooner.
Because in defense, you don’t get a second chance to get it right.

How Can You Become Warfighter Ready

1
Apply to Join a Cohort

Schedule a call to share your company mission, product vision, and how your tech supports critical warfighter needs.
We accept a limited number of startups per cohort whose capabilities align with real operational priorities.

2
Connect with Operators

If selected, you’ll join a cohort of startups with complementary capabilities, collectively delivering real impact on a critical warfighter need. We’ll connect you directly with operators who need your solution—and provide the mission-specific feedback you need to shape it.

Whether you’ve worked with the DoD before or not, we’ll ensure you get on base, get in front of operators, and demonstrate your tech with confidence.

3
Accelerate Your Mission

We partner with operators to run mission-relevant test events where you can demonstrate your tech and get direct, unfiltered feedback from the people who need it most.

Then we help you turn those insights into strategy—refining your roadmap, aligning with acquisition pathways, and winning contracts that get your tech downrange fast.

Build what the Mission Needs and Finally Win Contracts

What You Get with Warfighter Ready

Connection with Real Operators

Gain access to the exact mission users who need your tech—no gatekeepers, no guesswork.

Actionable Product Feedback

Successfully harvest operator-driven insights—even if you’re new to the defense ecosystem.

Clarity on What Wins Contracts

Focus your time, team, and runway on the mission outcomes that drive your startup’s success.

Partners Committed to Accelerating Your Tech Downrange in Months Not Years

Why Warfighter Ready Partners?

Most defense tech founders build with limited access to real operators—and find out too late that their product isn’t mission-ready and they don't have the resources to do anything about it.

We know how that feels. We've lived it. It doesn't have to be that way.

With 15 years building dual-use products—including capability for Air Force One and all six U.S. service branches—we’ve seen how hard it is to align innovation with operational need.
We’ve helped build defense startups with bold visions and billion-dollar valuations… that still failed.
Not because of the tech or the talent—but because we didn’t truly understand the mission.

That’s why we created Warfighter Ready: To be the partner we wish we had—and to help founders build companies the warfighter actually needs.

With $2B+ in revenue generated across 50+ products and expertise recognized by NATO DIANA and DIU's Defense Tech Acceleration program, we help founders:

Connect with the right operators
Gather real, mission-critical feedback
Land contracts that get capability downrange in months, not years

Because in defense, alignment isn’t optional, it’s existential

At Warfighter Ready, we know you want to be a founder whose technology makes a real difference downrange.

To do that, you need clear insight into what the mission actually requires.
The problem? Access to real operators is blocked by gatekeepers, jargon, and unspoken rules—making you feel lost before you even begin.

We believe you shouldn’t have to be a former general, backed by a billionaire, or part of the Beltway boys’ club to build tech that serves this country.
We understand that operator feedback is the essence of great product strategy—which is why we intentionally connect innovators and operators to move capability forward.

We build curated startup cohorts around critical warfighter needs
We bridge the gap between founders and operators to facilitate real-world tech demonstrations
We help you prioritize development based on mission-critical feedback—so you hit key milestones, win your next contract, and move downrange faster

Stop building a science project.
Start building capability that’s Warfighter Ready.

Apply Now