Field of View (FOV) - October 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.

STARTUP FINANCIAL MODELING

For startups 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.

EMERGING TRENDS

NEW POOL OF VC INVESTORS MOVE INTO NATIONAL SECURITY & AEROSPACE.

Venture capital investors once focused on SaaS, gaming and cryptocurrency are pivoting toward funding early-stage Aerospace & Defense (A&D) startups as national security becomes the new frontier of innovation. Considering the crypto market’s continued decline and defense stocks outperformance, investors are seeking more stable, government-backed opportunities in dual-use technologies. This shift aligns with broader industrial and policy momentum, including the Department of Defense’s recent rebranding to the Department of War and a surge in federal funding programs aimed at revitalizing domestic manufacturing and defense capability.

Major institutional investors are signaling confidence in this transformation evidenced by Apollo and 8VC’s recently announced multibillion-dollar partnership to accelerate America’s industrial renaissance across aerospace, energy and logistics. Similarly, JP Morgan’s new $1.5 trillion Security and Resiliency Initiative commits long-term financing to A&D and frontier technologies marking a historic private capital mobilization toward national security. Venture capital investors who previously chased digital assets / worlds are now pouring funding dollars into the buildout of hardware technologies that will underpin America’s initiatives to reindustrialize and increase both offensive and defensive capabilities.

DISTRIBUTED MARITIME SENSING & REAL-TIME ACOUSTIC NETWORKS.

US dominance over China and Russia will depend on controlling the world’s oceans which enables global power projection, secures trade routes (~90% of global trade moves by the sea), sustains nuclear deterrence and preserves unmatched intelligence and alliance advantages. As ocean surveillance becomes increasingly critical for both homeland security and anti-submarine warfare, a new generation of distributed sensing systems is emerging which integrates passive acoustics, ML and edge computing. There is a growing US Navy stakeholder interest in long-duration, real-time maritime domain awareness systems capable of detecting both surface and subsurface targets across vast ocean areas.

Edge processing is becoming essential to overcome bandwidth constraints in contested environments and to transition these technologies from lab demonstrations to fully deployable capabilities, including operations in higher sea states. The convergence of autonomy, distributed sensing and AI-driven signal processing marks a major inflection point for maritime ISR. This surge in demand creates strong opportunities for early-stage companies developing low-cost, networked ocean sensors and adaptive software architectures. Next-generation maritime security systems are quickly moving from concept to reality.

UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLES <> KINETIC COUNTER-DRONE SYSTEMS.

Defense innovation is rapidly shifting toward autonomous ground systems capable of detecting and defeating unmanned aerial threats without human intervention. Recent collaboration announcements highlight how small, mobile robotic platforms are being paired with lightweight weapon systems and onboard autonomy to provide responsive counter-drone capabilities in dynamic environments. These efforts demonstrate a broader movement across the defense sector of integrating advanced sensing, AI-based target tracking and modular payloads into adaptable ground units designed for both perimeter and convoy protection.

The emphasis on autonomy, edge computing and passive sensing reflects the defense community’s intent to minimize operator load while increasing precision and survivability. As government interest and funding for counter-UAS technologies accelerate, early-stage companies developing interoperable autonomy stacks and lightweight weapons integration frameworks are finding a growing market. The intersection of robotics, AI and kinetic effectors marks a defining evolution in ground-based defense and force protection technology.

SPACE FORCE SHIFTS FOCUS FROM EARLY R&D TO FLIGHT-READY TECHNOLOGIES.

A quiet but significant realignment is underway within the US Space Force’s innovation ecosystem. Groups that once prioritized early-stage, lower TRL research and development are now refocusing on TRL 6+ technologies (proven in relevant environments and ready for operational integration). This shift reflects growing pressure to transition prototypes into deployable capabilities faster, aligning with broader Department of War mandates for speed-to-field and mission impact. The reorganization consolidates fragmented innovation offices and directs funding toward systems with demonstrated performance, rather than speculative concepts.

While this accelerates adoption of mature solutions and increases flight heritage across technologies of strategic interest, it also leaves a widening gap for early-stage companies previously supported by teams focused on buying down NRE and risk. The result is a smaller pool of USSF innovation-focused stakeholders in support of proposal submissions and contract awards. Key takeaway for founders: retain existing or find and secure new champions!

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TOP TALENT & FEATURED OPENINGS

ALL OPEN JOBS | SUBMIT YOUR RESUME

APPROACH’S TOP TALENT

WINNING HIRING WITH SPEED AND PRECISION.

Teams that consistently win top startup talent have a transparent, streamlined hiring process that ensures all relevant meetings happen within two to three weeks. Teams that take longer than that to prioritize top candidates are losing them to other options. We’re seeing candidates with one or two opportunities quickly turn into three to five offers when the process drags or lacks structure. Once you’re competing with multiple offers, your odds of closing the hire drop sharply, usually not because you’re the wrong fit, but because the candidate loses clarity on which fit is best. And once that happens, you risk a bidding war that eats up time, attention, and budget.

Startups and hiring teams that plan their interview processes are closing top talent fast. Before you even post the role, decide who’s in each stage and agree internally on what a “yes” actually looks like. Then move quickly. Candidates don’t expect perfection, but they appreciate clarity—quick follow-ups, defined next steps, and real decision dates go a long way. The companies that move with that kind of intent are the ones candidates talk about after interviews. It’s not about being the biggest name or offering the highest salary; it’s about showing you’re organized, decisive, and serious about bringing them on board. Simply valuing a candidate’s time while moving with speed and precision has become one of the most underrated ways to win top talent.

FEATURED JOB OPENINGS.

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TRACKED SOLICITATIONS

While the shutdown continues, federal solicitation windows continue to push to the right one week at a time. This is mainly applicable to the DoD SBIR/STTR 2025.4/D which includes funding opportunities like space-based interceptors at various altitudes, Li-ion 6T batteries as a critical enabler to military fuel usage reduction, pLEO multi-source data fusion environment, commercial De-Orbit as a service for pLEO constellations, UAS technologies for SOCOM as well as DRTA and DARPA technologies of interest. A few BAAs are also active but in the absence of true champions within the government organization who owns the solicitation, we’d recommend holding off on submission as a demand signal is needed for BAAs to be funded.

Approach is tracking several soon-to-release solicitations through DIU for UUV solutions, the next AFWERX TACFI as well as a manufacturing initiative through DARPA — we anticipate said opportunities will remain on pause until after the shutdown ends. The next APFIT window will open in early 2026 and will not be impacted by the shutdown.

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VENTURE UPDATE

BRAVO VICTOR VENTURE CAPITAL ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION FUND I.

BRAVO VICTOR VC announced the close of Fund I totaling $100 million. Fund I will support investments critical to national security, advanced manufacturing and industrial autonomy at the Pre-seed through Series A stage. BVVC was started by UNION co-founder Joe Musselman and has existing investments in companies such as Anduril, Figure AI and X-Bow.

APOLLO AND 8VC PARTNER TO ACCELERATE AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION.

APOLLO and 8VC announced a strategic partnership to accelerate the American Industrial Renaissance through flexible capital solutions tailored to high-growth companies. Through this collaboration, Apollo and 8VC intend to deploy several billion dollars to support the work of technology companies in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, energy, life sciences, logistics and natural resources.

JP MORGAN LAUNCHES $1.5 TRILLION SECURITY & RESILIENCY INITIATIVE.

JP MORGAN announced the Security and Resiliency Initiative, a $1.5 Trillion, 10-year plan to finance and invest in industries critical to national economic security and resiliency. As a part of the initiative, the company will make direct equity and venture capital investments of up to $10 billion in 4 areas: Supply Chain and Advanced Manufacturing, Defense and Aerospace, Energy Independence and Resilience, and Frontier and Strategic Technologies.

The initiative will be led by Jay Horine, who was previously Co-Head of Global Investment Banking. Antimony and gold miner Perpetua Resources became the first firm to receive a $75mm strategic equity investment under the new initiative.

FOUNDER TIP

COMPLY WITH CMMC REQUIREMENTS.

Deferring CMMC compliance could cost your startup (or portfolio company) critical opportunities with A&D Prime and federal customers. Early investment in IT security safeguards eligibility and accelerates contract execution and revenue flow.

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Link to Last Month’s Newsletter HERE.