Forterra avoids the trap of serving two masters by maintaining a defense-first roadmap. Commercial applications are pursued only when they directly benefit the core defense product by providing scale, lowering costs, and generating broader data sets for development, making the warfighter's product better.
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Unlike traditional contractors paid for hours, Anduril invests its own capital to build products it believes the government needs. This model incentivizes speed and effectiveness, as profit is tied to successful products, not billable hours. This shifts the financial risk from the taxpayer to the company.
Tech companies often use government and military contracts as a proving ground to refine complex technologies. This gives military personnel early access to tools, like Palantir a decade ago, long before they become mainstream in the corporate world.
Valinor CEO Julie Busch argues that the VC push for dual-use (government and commercial) products is a distraction. Most government needs are single-use, creating a massive, underserved market. Furthermore, it's far easier to adapt a government-first product for commercial use than the other way around due to stringent compliance hurdles.
Unlike traditional contractors paid for time and materials, Anduril invests its own capital to develop products first. This 'defense product company' model aligns incentives with the government's need for speed and effectiveness, as profits are tied to rapid, successful delivery, not prolonged development cycles.
Many defense startups fail despite superior technology because the government isn't ready to purchase at scale. Anduril's success hinges on identifying when the customer is ready to adopt new capabilities within a 3-5 year window, making market timing its most critical decision factor.
The Department of War's top AI priority is "applied AI." It consciously avoids building its own foundation models, recognizing it cannot compete with private sector investment. Instead, its strategy is to adapt commercial AI for specific defense use cases.
The US government no longer just funds defense-specific space tech. It now mandates that startups demonstrate a clear dual-use commercialization plan, ensuring the technology fosters a broader economic ecosystem and isn't solely reliant on defense budgets.
Archer's strategy involves designing aircraft for both commercial and military applications from the start. This dual-use approach creates opportunities to shift manufacturing capacity based on demand, helping to re-industrialize both the civil and defense aviation sectors and providing strategic flexibility.
Unlike consumer or enterprise software, the defense industry has a single major customer per country. This structure favors consolidation. The path to success is not to be a niche SaaS tool but to build a platform that becomes a "national champion," deeply integrated with the nation's defense strategy.
The go-to-market strategy for defense startups has evolved. While the first wave (e.g., Anduril) had to compete directly with incumbents, the 'Defense 2.0' cohort can grow much faster. They act as suppliers and partners to legacy prime contractors, who are now actively seeking to integrate their advanced technology.
