Field of View (FOV) - November 2025

Early-Stage Aerospace & Defense Newsletter.

Author

Approach Venture
December 01, 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.

FINANCIAL OPERATING MODELS

In addition to business development, proposal writing and recruiting efforts, Approach also supports founders in building first-ever financial operating models (or revamping current).

For startup founders seeking financial granularity to scale with confidence, Approach partners with founders to develop comprehensive financial operating models that inform strategic decisions, forecast performance and support investor as well as Board communications.

CONTACT APPROACH to learn more.

OTAS REMAIN ACTIVE DESPITE PENDING SBIR REAUTHORIZATION.

Other Transaction Authority (or “OTA”) is a flexible contracting mechanism used by the Department of War (or “DoW”) to rapidly prototype and transition new technologies outside traditional FAR-based contracting. OTAs are a completely separate authority from SBIR and STTR because they originate under 10 U.S.C. 4021 and 4022 rather than the SBIR statute, which means their use is unaffected by the expiration of SBIR Authorization. As a result, organizations such as DIU, DARPA and others are continuing to release OTAs without interruption.

SBIR / STTR programs expired at the end of September 2025, forcing agencies to pause new solicitations as well as many continuation awards until Congress acts. The House passed a one-year clean extension, but the Senate has not taken it up, leaving the programs in limbo. Senate leadership continues to push for a broader reform package that would reauthorize the programs while imposing new limits on repeat awardees, increasing foreign risk screening and adjusting set aside rules. Competing House legislation seeks to make the programs permanent and expand access, creating uncertainty around which approach will ultimately advance.

The lapse has already disrupted early-stage founder’s ability to invoice for milestones that have been achieved on active contracts as well as award notifications for previously submitted proposals to DoW solicitations. Agencies can continue managing existing awards, but they cannot issue new SBIR or STTR opportunities until reauthorization is resolved. In the absence of SBIR / STTR Reauthorization, DoW organizations are releasing OTAs which

AI-DRIVEN MATERIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR INDUSTRIAL RESILIENCE.

Several startups are developing of AI-enabled material intelligence systems capable of automatically identifying, sorting and validating complex scrap metals, electronic components and industrial materials with precision to support reshoring our industrial base. These systems combine sensor fusion, ML and advanced spectroscopy to classify metals, plastics and circuitry in real-time while generating high-purity material streams for reuse.

This trend is critical as the US faces mounting pressure on critical mineral supply chains, microelectronics sources and raw-material independence. Defense platforms depend heavily on copper, specialty alloys and sensitive electronic components; many of which originate from vulnerable or adversary-influenced global suppliers.

AI-driven “de-manufacturing” allows the US to reclaim and certify strategic materials domestically, reducing reliance on foreign inputs. It also enhances industrial base transparency by providing real-time validation and reporting to ensure authenticity and quality of materials entering defense manufacturing pipelines. As great-power competition accelerates, this technology will become a foundational enabler for a more resilient, secure and self-sustaining defense industrial base as the extraction market catches up to where we need to be.

HOLDCO MODELS SURFACING IN DEFENSE ECOSYSTEM.

A Holding Company (or “HoldCo”) is an umbrella organization that owns controlling stakes in multiple businesses, allowing each entity to operate independently while benefiting from shared oversight, capital and strategic direction. We are seeing more HoldCo models form both within the startup ecosystem and within capital markets to acquire emerging technology firms across advanced manufacturing, space technology, drone systems, autonomy and specialized electronics. By consolidating diverse capabilities under one structure, they create integrated ecosystems that accelerate technology development and reduce fragmentation across the industrial base.

This approach strengthens cross-domain innovation, allowing manufacturing expertise, space-domain assets and uncrewed / autonomous systems to be combined into more powerful, mission-ready solutions. It also spreads financial and operational risk across multiple technology verticals, improving resilience and long-term stability. Investors are gravitating toward these diversified platforms because they adapt quickly to shifting mission demands and budget environments.

STARTUPS CAPITALIZE ON END-OF-YEAR HIRING WINDOW.

Increased end-of-year hiring is trending across A&D and deep-tech startups. Teams building spacecraft, autonomy tools, advanced manufacturing, and defense tech are continuing to interview and hire through November and December. LinkedIn and BLS data show that technical hiring remains steady in Q4, and in engineering-driven sectors, it often rises as companies secure new contracts and prepare for Q1 program starts. This has created a consistent pattern where the strongest teams use this window to engage high-caliber engineers who want a clean transition after the holidays.

The timing of talent movement is earlier than many expect. Candidates targeting a January or February change are already active, and the companies that stay engaged in December consistently reach them before the broader market turns on hiring. By January, competition spikes and many of the best engineers are already deep in process. For A&D and frontier-tech teams operating on tight timelines, interviewing now has become a real advantage. It shortens hiring cycles, reduces competition, and positions teams to start the year with momentum instead of getting stuck in the crowded new-year surge.

FEATURED JOB OPENINGS.

PRINCIPAL STRESS ENGINEER: This growing composites-focused defense startup is building entirely new manufacturing methods, and this role sits at the center of how those structures are analyzed, optimized, and qualified. It’s a chance to establish the stress analysis discipline from the ground up, shaping simulation frameworks and testing approaches that directly influence next-generation hardware destined for high-stakes missions.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (onsite)

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER: A fast-growing optics and sensor technology company is scaling a portfolio of advanced infrared, LiDAR, and laser-based systems, and this role leads the R&D programs that move those technologies from concept to deployed capability. It’s a high-impact position at the center of complex, multidisciplinary engineering efforts where you’ll guide direction, customer alignment, and execution for some of the most innovative sensing hardware in the defense space.

Location: Camarillo, CA (onsite)

FOUNDING ROBOTICS ENGINEER: A well-funded early-stage robotics company is building autonomous ground systems for high-stakes defense missions, and this role takes full ownership of the autonomy and control stack that powers the platform. It’s a chance to shape core architecture, build across perception and embedded systems, and see your work validated in fast, iterative field testing as the team moves from prototype to production.

Location: Austin, TX (onsite)

SENIOR MECHANICAL ENGINEER: This growing space hardware company is building advanced RF and electronics systems for next-generation satellites, and this role takes full ownership of the mechanical design that makes those systems flight-ready. It’s a hands-on opportunity to drive product development from concept through qualification while solving complex packaging, thermal, and structural challenges for mission-critical space applications.

Location: Camarillo, CA (onsite)

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER: This early-stage aerospace company is developing advanced electric propulsion and power systems for next-generation spacecraft, and this role leads the design of the electronics that make those platforms possible. It’s a hands-on opportunity to own high-voltage hardware, embedded controls, and flight-ready power systems that influence propulsion performance, spacecraft integration, and an expanding roadmap of advanced space missions.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (onsite)

FACILITIES DIRECTOR: This fast-scaling photonics and advanced manufacturing company is building one of the most sophisticated production environments in the country, and this role is responsible for the infrastructure that makes it possible. It’s a high-impact opportunity to design, expand, and optimize a factory where precision, throughput, and reliability are mission-critical as the team moves toward high-volume output.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (onsite)

VP OF MANUFACTURING: This emerging deep-tech startup is building a next-generation additive manufacturing platform for aerospace and defense, and this role leads the transformation from early prototypes to a scalable, high-reliability production operation. It’s a chance to architect factory systems, shape the manufacturing culture, and guide the buildout of a first-of-its-kind composite hardware capability with significant national impact.

Location: Broomfield, CO (onsite)

SENIOR AUTOMATION ENGINEER: A fast-growing defense manufacturing startup is building automated systems that will redefine how composite hardware is produced, and they’re looking for someone to take ownership of that capability from day one. This role shapes the automation strategy, builds hands-on robotic and motion systems, and directly impacts how high-rate production scales across critical programs.

Location: Los Angeles, CA (onsite)

PRINCIPAL AI / PERCEPTION ENGINEER: This fast-growing autonomy startup is developing compact defense robotics that rely on real-time perception and ML intelligence, and this role builds the core systems that enable those capabilities. It’s a rare chance to architect the entire perception pipeline, deploy models directly onto embedded platforms, and validate your work in the field as the team moves from early prototypes to fully autonomous systems.

Location: Austin, TX (onsite)

TRACKED SOLICITATIONS

The continued lapse in SBIR/STTR reauthorization creates uncertainty that may further delay the release of solicitations and notifications of award from prior submissions. As a result, companies monitoring upcoming topics should prepare for potential schedule slips and reduced visibility into when specific opportunities will open.

Approach is tracking several organizations that are releasing opportunities regardless of the SBIR/STTR reauthorization, including but not limited to AFLCMC, NSTXL, DIU, DARPA, xTech, and Vulcan.

ACTIVE.

UPCOMING.

VENTURE UPDATE

J2 VENTURES ANNOUNCES $250 MILLION BROOKHAVEN FUND.

J2 VENTURES announced the closure of their $250 million Brookhaven fund. The fund will focus on early-stage, dual-use technologies critical to both US national security and commercial markets.

The Brookhaven fund will focus on Seed and Series A investments. Brookhaven follows J2’s $150 million Argonne Fund raised in 2024 and its $68 million inaugural Fund in 2021.

MVP VENTURES ANNOUNCES $125 MILLION FUND II.

MVP VENTURES has announced the close of its $125 million Fund II, nearly quadrupling from its $35 million Fund I. The fund is focused on critical technologies and AI, with ~12-15 percent dedicated to defense tech specific startups.

Half of the Fund will be hardware, in areas such as robotics and manufacturing. MVPs typical check size at the Seed stage is $1 million and $2-3 million for Series A, with a target of 50 investments planned for Fund II.

FOUNDER TIP

KEEPING UP WITH DOW REORGANIZATIONS.

As you pursue non-dilutive funding to scale your product, team and business at large, it’s critical to understand how recent DoW reorganizations may shift the roles of decision makers and influencers who have traditionally championed your technology. It is also equally important to understand if their technology focus areas have changed.

Link to Last Month’s Newsletter HERE.