Everything you need to build a defense technology company. Organized by stage, from first orientation to operational scale.
Bookmark this page ⌘D. You will not need it all today. The questions will come up, and this is where the answers stay.
Prepare to succeed.
Before anything else, learn how the system works. Who buys, how they buy, and where the money flows. This stage builds the mental model that keeps everything else from being wasted motion.
Contracting Cone
FAR for Startups
Contract Types Explained
Understanding PPBE
Signals Feed
Defense Ecosystem Map
Guild · Free
Where you are and what's next.
Identify the mission problem you solve and the acquisition pathway that fits. Match your technology to active demand signals: SBIR topics, CSOs, OTAs, or direct engagement with problem sponsors.
Finding Problem Sponsors
AFWERX Engagement Pathways
DIU Commercial Solutions Opening
Other Transaction Authority Guide
Opportunities Board
SBIR Topic Search
Pricing Strategies for Government Contracts
Defense Builders
Get connected.
Land your first contract vehicle. Get compliant, write proposals that win, and connect your solution to the acquisition system. This is where most startups stall: the bureaucratic interface between innovation and procurement.
Phase I Proposal Guide
CMMC 2.0 Requirements
ITAR Basics for Startups
CUI Marking Handbook
Security Clearance Process
Proposal Writing Playbook
Defense Builders
Build to full power.
You won a contract and built the prototype. Now the tension builds to production and scale. Build the relationships, evidence, and end user demand that launches you over the valley of death.
Valley of Death Survival Guide
DON Phase III Guidebook
The Interceptor Math Is Broken
Valley of Death Navigator
Defense Builders
Operator Validation Toolkit
Guild · Free
Go operational.
Production contracts, follow-on awards, colors of money, B2B partnerships, and lifecycle optimization. You're building the team and the right team members change everything.
From Combine to Series A: Ulysses
The $16B Alignment Problem
The Army Is Rewriting How It Buys Technology
Production Contract Playbook
Defense Builders
Prime Teaming & Subcontractor Strategy
Defense Builders
We go deeper than advice. Merge Combinator builds alongside a small number of companies trading equity for founder-grade expertise.