Our Work

Research, case studies, and playbooks for defense startups.

Everything here is organized into three tracks — proof of what's worked, a running read on the market, and plain explanations of how the mechanisms actually function.

Case Studies Market Briefs Playbooks

Case Studies

Contract-by-contract breakdowns of defense startups that scaled — proof by example.
Case Study
The Anduril Playbook: From $50K to a $20B Deal
How a single SBIR Phase I award became a nine-figure program of record — and the seven-year contracting trail that got it there.
Read the brief → PDF
Case Study
Next case study coming soon
We're compiling the next breakdown now. Check back shortly.
Case Study
Next case study coming soon
We're compiling the next breakdown now. Check back shortly.

Market Briefs

Dated snapshots of the funding and contracting environment — refreshed as the market moves.
Market Brief · Aug 2026
Countering the Swarm: The C-UAS Opportunity Map
The five-stage counter-drone kill chain, who's buying by branch, the competitive landscape, and where a startup can realistically break in.
Read the brief → PDF
Market Brief
Next update coming soon
We'll refresh this quarterly as the funding and contracting landscape shifts.
Market Brief
Next update coming soon
We'll refresh this quarterly as the funding and contracting landscape shifts.

Playbooks

Plain-language explainers on the mechanisms themselves — SBIR, OTAs, IDIQs, and how they actually work.
Playbook
SBIR & STTR, Explained
The three-phase pipeline behind nearly every successful defense startup's first federal dollar — how it works, SBIR vs. STTR, and how to actually win one.
Read the playbook → PDF
Playbook
Next playbook coming soon
Straightforward guides to the contract vehicles startups actually use — no jargon, no fluff.
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