// COHORT 25-1

83 companies. 75+ mission owners. Five days that are still delivering.

The Defense Tech Combine brought together 83 critical technology companies with more than 75 mission owners, decision makers, and domain experts for five days of decisive engagement — producing real momentum that is still delivering impact nine months later.

Explore the companies, the standout wins, and the patterns that explain why this worked.

See the Outcomes Start Here
// START HERE

Choose how you want to explore the cohort.

Most visitors do not want 83 equal tiles. They want a fast way into the story.

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Biggest Wins

Start with the most visible post-Combine momentum across the cohort.

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Mission Areas

Browse companies by the problem sets and operational domains that matter to you.

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Founder Stories

Hear what changed after access, collaboration, and real mission feedback.

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How This Scales

See how Cohort 25-1 becomes an always-on network through Defense Builders.
// FEATURED STORY
THE THESIS

Defense innovation is bottlenecked by access, not talent.

Cohort 25-1 proved that when strong technical teams get direct access to mission owners, operators, and domain experts, outcomes move faster than traditional pathways allow.

This was not a passive demo day. It was a concentrated working environment: five days in person, followed by structured follow-through for top teams.

Why Merge Combinator Read the proof
83
Companies evaluated
5 days
In-person engagement
12
Gov sponsorships
21
Draft picks
$250M
Pipeline value
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Mission areas
// WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

Start with the companies people talk about first.

Contracts won, rounds raised, and programs entered after the Combine — the highest-signal examples from the cohort. See every tracked win →

// BROWSE BY MISSION

Not all 83 companies matter to the same buyer.

Explore the cohort by problem set, mission relevance, and operational interest.

// FOUNDER SPOTLIGHTS

Learn from the teams, not just the logos.

The best way to understand the cohort is to hear what changed for the builders inside it.

Have a cohort milestone, deployment update, contract win, or lesson worth sharing?

Share Your Story
// THE PROOF

This page is not just a portfolio. It is evidence.

Explore Full Outcomes What the Partnership Proved
// FROM COHORT TO NETWORK

Cohort 25-1 proved the model. Defense Builders is how it scales.

SigmaBlox showed what happens when access is concentrated around real mission demand. Defense Builders extends that momentum into an always-on workspace for founders, mission owners, and trusted collaborators.

Use this cohort view to understand the proof. Open Defense Builders to see how the model grows beyond a single event into a broader operating network.

Explore the Full Cohort Learn About Merge Combinator
// COMPETITORS

Meet the teams solving the hardest problems.

Search, filter, and sort the complete company set by mission area, stage, readiness level, and standout signals.

The network is growing. Reach out for more information.

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300 Below Inc.MaintenanceReliability, double weapons life, double engine life, double brake life, double pump life, double electric motor life. 200% gains for 20% cost.AEROSENSLogisticsAEROSENS transform readiness with smart sensors, real-time tracking, tamper alerts, and instant digital inspections, even without connectivity.ARES SecurityForce Protection (Defense)Physical security for fixed / expeditionary sites is challenged by evolving threats (ie Ukrainian attack on 40 Russian A/C) and personnel shortages.Agventure Tech INCLogisticsWe provide light duty autonomous utility vehicles for quick deploy perimeter defense, casualty med evac, and supply distribution.Airtrek RoboticsMaintenanceWingwalking and FOD walks consume significant manpower, yet human errors in manual handling cause damage, impacting the defense fleet readiness.Alitheon, Inc.LogisticsEliminating counterfeits and gray market items from entering DoD; streamlining inventory management; reducing human error from misidentificationAnuma Aerospace CorporationIntel and Battlespace AwarenessLimited endurance and loiter of aerial ISR sensors.Ardent MCIntel and Battlespace AwarenessToo much data for analysts to find what they're looking for and connect the dotsBKPK, Inc.LogisticsSilent, portable power for dispersed ops where generators are loud, fuel is risky, and legacy systems can’t keep up.Bayes EdgeJoint Fires (Offense)The problem is to deliver ordinance accurately in offensive and insurgent operations. Single drones are more susceptible to known countermeasures.BestDefense, IncCyberSlow, costly, and complex red team operations and long mean-time to remediation of critical vulnerabilities in mission critical software and infrastructureBlackBox Energy SystemsJoint Fires (Offense)Need for better, lighter, quiet, thermally efficient motors for drones made in the USACachaiCommand and ControlThey're making lots of drones, and they're making each individual drone very smart, but there's no distributed nervous system that turns a group of individual maneuvering drones into the problem-solving unit of adaptive capability that would constitute a swarm.Carolina Unmanned Vehicles Inc.Command and Controlproviding wide area (60 miles) persistent C3, EW, surveillance in a mobile configuration, with low manpower, logistics and C-130 transportabiltyConfidencial Inc.CyberHigh-profile breaches show perimeter defenses aren't enough. Zero Trust helps, but adoption is slow and rarely focuses on the core issue - your data.Corvus IndustriesForce Protection (Defense)Group 1 and 2 drones that are impervious to EW and drone swarmsDataSoft Corp.CommSecure wireless communications at tactical edgeDecisiveIntel and Battlespace AwarenessIntegration of disparate data sources, sensors, formats, and algorithms to empower decision advantage at theDefense UnicornsMaintenanceSoftware deployment from enterprise to DDIL edge environmentsDesert RotorCommand and ControlInteroperability Across Platforms, Multi-Domain Operations (MDO), Next-Generation 5G / SATCOM, Operational Efficiency & Reduced Cognitive LoadDev Technology GroupInformationAny IT related problemDigitalCM LLCForce Protection (Defense)DOD training faces challenges with time, funding, standards, and consistency. Our solution ensures standardized, reliable access.Divergent Space TechnologiesIntel and Battlespace AwarenessNTM Overhead is not widely available to the Warfighter. Access to USG paid for Commercial Proliferated Systems offer a "Persistent Stare" over the INDOPACOM AOR.Dmaterial IP, LLC.LogisticsMost vehicles can’t quickly evacuate casualties or carry bulk cargo without pre-installed systems, delaying missions and endangering lives.Duality SystemsCommand and ControlInefficient manpower and resource allocation (complex scheduling)DunedainCommand and ControlAI accelerated workflows for staff and line unitsEM SektetForce Protection (Defense)Propulsion in space. Refueling, maneuvering, space combatElectricFish Energy IncLogisticsAging grid, soaring AI/eVTOL peak loads, and fuel-heavy genset stopgaps leave bases without rapid, resilient power.EvoLux Transportation, LLCLogisticsOptimizing air mobility logistics and modernizing user experience interfaces for DoD Personnel to improve scheduling and efficienciesFibrXMaintenanceFibrX solves the problem of hidden structural degradation—like corrosion and fatigue—by providing real-time fiber optic monitoring that prevents mission failures, reduces maintenance costs, and extends asset life across all domainsFlagged Inc.CyberPhishing, business email compromise, social engineering scams, and zero day vulnerabilities across multiple communication systems.Gallatin AILogisticsGallatin is aiming to establish logistics decision dominance for the US military and our allies.Genesis Codes IncCommMove data faster (10X throughput, 10% latency), safer and more resiliently, in challenging networks.HI-SpectralIntel and Battlespace AwarenessTraditional high-perf snapshot hyperspectral systems are too large to deploy on drones and cubesatsHadron IndustriesCommand and ControlMulti Domain CollaborationHelical SolarLogisticsExtend generator to five 9's reliability (99.999%) uptime while minimizing fuel consumption/recurring maintenance and mitigating fuel shortage events.High Entropy SecurityCyberSecuring cryptographic keys in jammed, Zero-Trust environmentsHusmann TechnolgiesLogisticsProblem: Automate mechanical systems monitoring and understanding.Infinite Composites, Inc.Joint Fires (Offense)Enabling vehicles to travel further, faster, or carry more payload by reducing the weight and increasing capacity of pressurized fuel storage tanks.IntelligenicInformationThe Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is highly manual, resulting in inefficiencies, high costs, and long delivery times.Jericho SecurityCyberDefensive & Offensive Social EngineeringKinard TechnologiesForce Protection (Defense)Small UAS and FPVs that threaten to tactically and strategically defeat the USKindoCyberKindo’s Chat Actions automate workflows—no code or middleware needed. Agents act, not just watch, with built-in governance and auditability.KinnamiInformationKinnami AmiShare enables secure, resilient data sharing and access in contested, disconnected, and multi-domain defense environments.LeVanta Tech Inc.Intel and Battlespace AwarenessPersistent rough sea float combined with high speed flightLeviathan AirIntel and Battlespace AwarenessMoving cargo and mission specific payloads quickly long distance over oceans, esspecally in Indo Pacom. But without the need for runways.Lionfish Cyber SecurityCyberThe DoD faces a 28,000-person cyber talent gap. Lionfish recruits and trains college students in CMMC/CCP, deploys them to help the DoD supply chain with compliance, then transitions them into DoD cyber roles — building the next generation of mission-ready defenders.Lymbic AICyberDeepfakesModular MisfitsJoint Fires (Offense)Kill chains fail in contested environments because fires can’t be coordinated fast across services, systems, or degraded comms.Motibera, Inc.MaintenanceMotibera is addressing critical reliability and acoustic stealth limitations of electric motors by replacing conventional bearings with fully integrated magnetic levitation systems.Mythos AICommand and ControlThe US needs robust, field-proven systems that reduce reliance on large crews and improve real-time decision-making and resilience across the fleet.NetCentrics CorporationCyberThe lack of unified, real-time, and mission-relevant visibility across diverse and distributed assets — especially in low-bandwidth, intermittent, or denied communications environments.Nighthawk Integrated Solutions LLCForce Protection (Defense)Deployable 3D Interior Tracking System for Personnel and Equipment to within structures with 1 meter accuracyNooksInformationClassified access for startups and Defense Industrial Base overallO AnalyticsForce Protection (Defense)Limited capability to detect and classify unknown space objects in real-time.Optimized Optics, Inc.Intel and Battlespace AwarenessDesigning better optical systems, from laser communications to sensors for self-driving carsPhoton-X, Inc.Force Protection (Defense)Passive threat detection and ranging and equipment inspectionPulse SpaceJoint Fires (Offense)latency of data gathering in space and point-to-point transit time in delivering effects.Quantum Research SciencesLogisticsHeuristics are ubiquitously used to guesstimate solutions. Our tech ends reliance on this inaccurate "guessing" to quickly deliver exact answers.Radius MethodInformationMost DoD programs lack a secure AI software factory capable of delivering compliant, governable agentic workflows at mission speed.RedshredMaintenanceRedshred improves readiness by using AI to enable digital transformation of documents into data for maintenance, sustainment, and operations.RelayNexusCommExposure of submarines when needing to surface every 11 hours increase signature exposure and Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV) using tethered systems have limited depth and mobility capacity.Rune AeroLogisticsMoving air cargo in contested in infrastructure-limited environmentsSafire Technology GroupForce Protection (Defense)The modern battlefield is rapidly becoming more electrified—but the energy systems powering it are outdated.Sentient ScienceLogisticsImplementation of additively manufactured parts for aerospace is significantly hampered by lack of process insight and in-situ quality controlsSheridan TechnologiesJoint Fires (Offense)Warfighters in GPS-denied, RF-contested environments lack autonomous ISR and counter-UAS intercept capability that doesn’t rely on satellite navigation or remote piloting.Skyline Nav AI, Inc.LogisticsDetermining precise location is extremely challenging when GPS, cellular, and Wi-Fi signals are unavailable, unreliable, or jammed.Smarter RealitySmarter Reality builds training and simulation technology for DoD. The company is an Inc. 5000, Austin Fast 50 and Financial Times 500 company for 2023 and 2024. The company has won eleven defense SBIR awards and three DAF technology challenges, including being a finalist with PACAF's "Expedient Basing Challenge." We have multiple products in market with DoD. Our most recent project is the Site Selection and Visitation System, SAAS that identifies, evaluates ranks and simulates contingency and expedient airfields to support DAF's "Agile Combat Employment" initiative.Spectrum Defense SystemsJoint Fires (Offense)EW training and deception ops lack low-cost, modular emitters that flexibly emulate diverse RF signals. Current systems are expensive, rigid, and slow to deploy, limiting realistic, adaptive threat replication in dynamic environments.StarcycleAdministrationAdministrative drag in regulated, multi-party workflows delays fielding and starves warfighters of timely capability.Stitch3DIntel and Battlespace AwarenessStitch3D brings 3D point clouds and geospatial data to the web with tools for storage, visualization, analytics, and collaboration.SunnooLogisticsIn the electrified battlefield, fuel dependence, detectability, and power disruption are putting missions and lives at risk. Sunnoo solves this by delivering reliable, off-grid energy that keeps warfighters powered, protected, and operational and empowers decision-making superiority.Swarmbotics AIForce Protection (Defense)Attritable, Autonomous UGV SwarmsSynapseMXMaintenanceWe help maintenance teams work better together to get assets back in the air soonerThe Fraclex GroupThe Fraclex Group represents 20+ years of lived subject matter expertise in targeting, cybersecurity, Ai, special operations, counterterrorism, cryptography, quantum, training, threat assessment, and social engineering. Our co-founding team has operationally led, mitigated, and even generated threat matrices that have continually evolved over the last twenty years- and will continue to mitigate threats and undermine adversaries at the tip of the cyber spear.Registering in March 2024, we were immediately selected to SOCOM foundries 14 & 15 (Tampa and London), and SOCOM RCA 15 Scotland (SOCOM, UK MOD). We thus far have bootstrapped close to 200K of co-founder investment into business development, operational, and small scale engineering costs to document requirements in depth bespoke to end user groups, to develop SOF peculiar, conventional, and special activity orientated capability prototypes for lab, then mixed and live, operational scenarios and exercises.Our contract options/structures in discussion include SOF, ARSOF, and international SOF; conventional forces (all); Pentagon; Treasury for irregular warfare; and DOE exclusive cybersecurity license with Argonne National Lab. Commercial engagements include oil&gas, sports and entertainment, fintech, commercial and tactical training ranges, and educational wargaming (multi-uni wargaming initiative that is already in development). Our MOSA tranche capability and architectural dev approach will include multi capability, multimodal, multi environmental deployment of fully encrypted features and architectures, with initial foundational support by offensive/defensive/decoy cyber, adaptive autonomy, adaptive gen/small AI, quantum, and direct energy effects in synthetic and mixed development. These effects, combined with integrated cutting edge capabilities/effects of collaborative partners, will support and scale the larger tactical to enterprise (live & in tandem) architectural fusion and multi-layer deployments (kinetic and non kinetic) in any environment, at the point of need. We will weave small and large language model fusion, tactical edge and OSINT feed integrations into gamification, cyber and AI testbeds and wings, deploying novel offensive measures via enhanced psy ops, exploitation and targeting, and intelligent disruption of adversaries and asymmetrical threat vectors. This new multi-layer aggregated data fusion and real time live environment inclusion will utterly disrupt and transform training, wargaming, and intelligence worlds, fusing and operating at levels we have never seen and have now grounded in a near future reality of a Ready Player One (on steroids) Digital Field of Dreams. If we are selected, and with your support- we WILL build a FUSION Field of Dreams,and ‘they’-our future of fused cyber, AI, and quantum- will come.Trackable Health AIInformationEnhancing lethalityUltraview AIMaintenanceClass A/B mishaps are up 10% as maintainer losses grow. Ultraview fills the gap with automated, expert-level aircraft inspections.UlyssesIntel and Battlespace AwarenessCoasts/subsea assets are exploited/damaged; fleets lack affordable, persistent, scalable surface-and-subsea surveillance and intervention solutions.X-Hab 3D, Inc.Force Protection (Defense)The DoD lacks rapid construction capability for ACE in the Indo-Pacific; labor and logistics intensive, transport constraints.XR 2 LEAD LLCComm## ProblemXVectorxVector.usZephr.xyz Inc.Intel and Battlespace AwarenessThere is a lack of low bandwidth and low profile capabilities to map jamming/spoofing areas of impact and locate emitters for targeting.ZeroMark, Inc.Joint Fires (Offense)America has overmatch everywhere but the trigger where our warfighters still fight peer-to-peer.
// NEXT STEP

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