Field of View (FOV) - May 2025

Early-Stage Aerospace & Defense Newsletter.

Author

Approach Venture
June 02, 2025

Comprised of experienced startup operators and former DoD, Approach Venture was formed to enable founding teams building the future of frontier technology to achieve their full potential.

Approach supports frontier technology startups across fundraise, business development, proposal writing and recruiting efforts as well as larger organizations with technology scouting, due diligence and market intelligence.

CONTACT APPROACH to learn more. Follow us on LINKEDIN.

NEW ADDITION TO APPROACH VENTURE

Following time in engineering, program management and business development & capture roles for several Aerospace & Defense startups, Approach Venture is pleased to announce KATIE CONWAY has joined our team as Vice President. We are thrilled to have Katie onboard whose ability to problem solve, attention to detail and fusion of technical and business acumen are already proving to be valuable to our partners.

Welcome to the team, Katie!

APPROACH SPONSORED: SOCAL DEEP TECH WEEK

Approach Venture is pleased to announce sponsorship of SoCal Deep Tech Week taking place in LA from September 15–19. This week in September is a premier gathering bringing together investors and founders across Aerospace & Defense, energy, robotics, and advanced manufacturing.

SURGE IN DOD SOLICITATIONS TARGETING STARTUPS.

In a clear shift toward accelerating innovation, the DoD is dramatically expanding the number and diversity of active solicitations aimed at attracting startup participation across dual-use technologies to advance and mature roadmaps catered to Defense Needs. There are currently 79 active topics under the DoD SBIR 2025.4 solicitation (including topics from DARPA and MDA) and 21 more under DoD STTR 2025.D, spanning everything from advanced propulsion and RF sensors to generative AI and secure SCIF environments. The DoD SBIR CSO X25.5 adds another 3 active topics, and multiple U.S. Army and xTech programs have opened additional opportunities, such as xTechSearch 9, xTechPacific, and xTechOverwatch. Meanwhile, flagship programs like Golden Dome and SHIELD highlight the Pentagon’s focus on space-based sensing and survivable national security architectures—areas where nimble, high-tech startups are increasingly seen as essential partners. Other solicitations coming due soon include NSIC (rolling submission but solicitation window will close soon) and AFWERX / SpaceWERX.

Recent solicitations reflect a growing emphasis on AI, autonomy, and defense-grade sensing. Notable topics include AI-driven decision support for contracting and HR, low-SWaP antennas for UAS, autonomous flightline logistics, AR/VR for railroad maintenance, and resilient supply chain analytics. From advanced materials to quantum sensing and high-powered directed energy, the current landscape represents one of the broadest and most startup-accessible solicitation cycles in DoD history. Be careful though, don’t submit for too many at once and dilute your efforts across all of them.

DOD RAMPS INTEREST IN SMART MANUFACTURING.

The DoD is ramping up its commitment to advancing smart manufacturing capabilities, signaling a clear opportunity for startups at the intersection of national security and industrial innovation. Recent solicitations and opportunities like DIU’s FORGE (focused on next-gen metal castings), DIU’s Blue Manufacturing initiative, DARPA’s CHAMP topic, and the AFWERX Manufacturing Challenge spotlight DoD’s focus on cutting-edge capabilities from deployable additive manufacturing to scalable production of high-performance materials.

Air Force SBIR topics are honing in on smart manufacturing of sensors and armor, while the Army is seeking breakthroughs in production for unmanned systems and combat vehicles. This surge in defense-driven manufacturing solicitations reflects an urgent demand to overcome supply chain bottlenecks, enable rapid prototyping and building faster for the warfighter.

TOP TALENT & JOBS

HERE is Approach’s list of Tier I A&D industry talent.

A&D TALENT FOCUS: STARTUP OPPORTUNITIES.

The talent landscape across Aerospace & Defense is shifting. Historically, established Primes offered the perception of job security, but recent layoffs at Boeing, Airbus, Blue Origin and others suggest that legacy industry leaders no longer guarantee stability. In contrast, startups have accelerated hiring, driven by increased venture investment and an increase in starting being awarded contracts historically won by Primes. Roles in AI/ML, cyber, autonomous systems, and vehicle infrastructure are particularly in demand, reflecting current government priorities and industry focus areas. More founders are building companies to solve defense needs. Relatedly, employees of startups now hitting Series A territory who have been awarded Phase III level contracts and those who have raised $30+ million are recognizing market gaps and starting their own companies to solve them.

Competition among startups for elite talent has never been more intense. Highly skilled (and even junior) candidates are increasingly choosing startups over Primes for mission alignment, agility and the opportunity to deliver solutions without bureaucratic roadblocks. Additionally, we're recognizing rising interest from top-tier candidates currently at Primes who previously avoided startup roles altogether in their quest for stability. This trend creates a unique opportunity for founders willing to look past a lack of startup-specific experience to onboard new hires with deep expertise, rigorous training, and structured processes coming from larger players. However, founders must carefully assess candidates from legacy organizations, considering valid concerns around adaptability, pace and the potential limitations of overly specialized skillsets. This may not come as a surprise: Anduril and SpaceX are no longer startups and their workforce reflects the same.

FEATURED JOB OPENINGS.

ROBOTICS ENGINEER - SWARM & AUTONOMY: Help shape the future of autonomous space infrastructure. Join this stealth-mode, venture-backed startup developing self-assembling robotic swarms for orbit. This is your chance to own core autonomy systems in a high-impact, zero-to-one engineering role.

Location: Denver, CO (hybrid)

OPTICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEER: Join a fast-moving team building the world’s first orbital power grid. This is your chance to lead the design of free-space optical systems that will redefine how spacecraft share energy in orbit. As an Optical Systems Engineer, you'll architect, simulate, and validate breakthrough technologies with direct impact on space mission flexibility, uptime, and power delivery.

Location: Jacksonville, FL (onsite)

PRINCIPAL GNC ENGINEER: Join a stealth, venture-backed space startup developing the first reusable satellite platform. Take the lead on advanced flight algorithms and own GNC systems that will enable two-way orbital missions and redefine how satellites operate in space.

Location: Denver, CO (onsite)

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER: Join a fast-growing Series A startup transforming space and defense engineering by building high-performance software that powers real-time telemetry insights and accelerates mission-critical innovation across next-gen hardware systems.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (hybrid)

LEAD MECHANICAL ENGINEER: Step into a rare opportunity to lead the mechanical design of a precision manufacturing line powering the future of optical computing with a venture-backed stealth startup. This role puts you at the center of building high-speed, high-reliability hardware from the ground up, working alongside technical founders to transform how light is used in computation.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (onsite)

TEST & AUTOMATION ENGINEER: Join a team pushing the limits of infrared imaging and electro-optical innovation. This role is your chance to design and automate cutting-edge sensor test systems used in mission-critical defense and industrial applications. If you're passionate about Python, precision, and building real-world tools that make an impact, this is your opportunity to lead from the lab floor.

Location: Camarillo, CA (onsite)

MECHANICAL ENGINEER: Join a team rethinking satellite architecture from the ground up. This role puts you at the center of designing agile, high-power spacecraft that break the tradeoffs holding the industry back. If you're ready to take hardware from sketch to orbit, this is your chance to help launch a platform unlike anything flying today.

Location: San Francisco, CA (onsite)

COMPUTER VISION ENGINEER: Join a fast-growing, venture-backed startup at the intersection of aerospace and AI. Lead the development of advanced computer vision systems for real-time object tracking and video intelligence in next-gen space and national security missions.

Location: Irvine, CA (onsite)

TRACKED SOLICITATIONS

Contact [email protected] for proposal support.

ACTIVE.

UPCOMING.

VENTURE UPDATE

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) unveiled a new university accelerator program modeled after Y Combinator. The 12-week initiative aims to support early-stage startups emerging from U.S. universities, focusing on areas such as AI, cyber, and space technology. Fifteen selected teams will share $500,000 in funding and receive mentorship to cater their roadmap to the DoD. This program builds upon the earlier Emerge initiative by the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), reflecting increased interest in national security among student entrepreneurs and investors.

The accelerator is open to U.S.-owned startups founded by students, faculty, staff, or recent graduates (within 18 months) that are early-stage (TRL 2-4) with little or no prior DoD contracting experience. Eligible companies must be registered in sam.gov, able to commit to a 12-week virtual program culminating in an in-person showcase in Sunnyvale, CA.

FOUNDER TIP

BUILD THE PRODUCT YOUR CUSTOMERS NEED.

A key principle shared by some of the most successful founders is to focus relentlessly on building a product that is truly exceptional. In our industry where product reliability, repeatability, precision, and mission impact are paramount, no amount of marketing can make up for a solution that falls short.

Founders should prioritize technical excellence, building their roadmap to align with customer needs (dual-use), continuously stress-test assumptions and actively seek critical feedback from industry experts. The startup founders that win are those who know their respective market better than anyone else, have the ability to iterate quickly and deliver capabilities that work in environments where they are meant to operate.

DID YOU KNOW?

LIMITED AWARDS FOR DOD 2025.4 SPECIFIC TOPICS.

Several of the recently opened (May 28, 2025) Specific Topic solicitations will only result in a single contract award. Contact TPOCs and prioritize pursuits wisely—it’s common in this solicitation-rich environment to get distracted and dilute efforts across pursuits.

Link to Last Month’s Newsletter HERE.