Defense Builders Directory
The Defense Builders Directory highlights 83 high-signal companies selected from Merge Combinator's in-person Defense Tech Combine cohort. Public profiles retain rich company narrative and technical metadata while withholding direct contact details, fundraising data, scores, badges, and internal evaluation outcomes.
300 Below Inc.
Gun barrels including artillery wear out in forward theater operations. Solution Cryogenic Processing in 72 hours DOUBLES the life of guns and...
AEROSENS
Problem Critical operations in commercial aviation and defense rely on outdated processes using paper checklists and human reporting. These...
Agventure Tech INC
Problem Brigade Support Battalions rely on warfighters to provide transport, security, and logistics support, creating operational strain across...
Airtrek Robotics
Problem: Preventable mishaps from poor wingwalking and incomplete FOD walks causes millions in repair cost and impact defense fleet readiness....
Alitheon, Inc.
Supply Chain Integrity is at risk due to counterfeit parts and lack of reliable tracing. E.g. a million F-35 parts lost and fake computer boards...
Anuma Aerospace Corporation
Anuma Aerospace Corporation builds Airborne Reconnaissance and Geospatial Intelligence Utility System (ARGUS), a technology capability for Intel...
Ardent MC
Problem Only 2% of the Intelligence Community's data is assessed by analysts. There's too much data and there will never be enough analysts to...
ARES Security
Problem: Security Forces, operating below authorized staffing levels, do not have the personnel or systems to defend against evolving threats....
Bayes Edge
Bayes Edge builds VR Swarm, a technology capability for Joint Fires (Offense) missions. Its work is relevant to the Air, Sea domain.
BestDefense, Inc
Problem Most systems are still penetration tested manually and infrequently, leaving vulnerabilities undiscovered until it’s too late. Cyber...
BKPK, Inc.
BKPK delivers immediate, clean, portable, and dependable energy anywhere, anytime, and at any scale. As tactical environments shift toward more...
BlackBox Energy Systems
Problem Motors that are inefficient, hot, and loud--and not made in America Solution The TruVolt® is a rugged, compact, axial flux motor built for...
Cachai
Problem Today’s “swarming” autonomy fails under pressure. This endangers warfighters and flummoxes integration architects: -- One node acts as...
Carolina Unmanned Vehicles Inc.
Problem In peer conflict Forward deployed units require low cost, survivable, and mobile systems for 24/7 wide area Surveillance, C3, Electronic...
Confidencial Inc.
Problem: Perimeter defenses and network-based access controls remain vulnerable, as seen in high-profile breaches across government and industry....
Corvus Industries
Problem sUAS are the deadliest weapon on the modern battlefield and increasingly impervious to EW and other non-kinetic defeat methods. Solution A...
DataSoft Corp.
Problem Team members without a radio so they have to use voice and hand signals to communicate. Solution The RAP (Radio Access Point) is a...
Decisive
Small Special Operations Forces teams have access to some of the most advanced reconnaissance tools in the world but team leaders are rarely able...
Defense Unicorns
Problem Delivering software to the edge and updating it on demand while meeting ATO requirements is nearly impossible Solution UDS integrates apps...
Desert Rotor
Problem Unmanned operations are fragmented. Air, land, and maritime platform often requires its own ground control system (GCS), creating training...
Dev Technology Group
We’re not a startup—we’re newer to DoD, but not new to delivery excellence. Our team has successfully implemented cutting edge multi-modal...
DigitalCM LLC
Our Immersive Training Network (ITN) addresses the core challenges of military training, limited time, constrained funding, different standards...
Divergent Space Technologies
**The Tactical Intelligence Gap** Military intelligence analysts at the tactical edge can't access national overhead imagery—a critical...
Dmaterial IP, LLC.
Combat medics, aircrews & vehicle operators lack scalable, on-demand CASEVAC & cargo solutions in contested environments. 85–95% of...
Duality Systems
Problem Warfighters and mission planners face friction aligning personnel and resources to mission needs. Across flight, cyber, and logistics...
Dunedain
Problem Units burn critical hours on mapping, monitoring OSINT feeds, conducting MDMP, and checking doctrine from SOPs - in the fight this will...
ElectricFish Energy Inc
Modern bases and forward sites are caught between an aging grid— 70 % of U.S. equipment is past service life—and high-peak loads that AI clusters,...
EM Sektet
Problem — Mission‑critical / market‑critical Satellites die when propellant runs out. Every collision‑avoidance burn and station‑keeping maneuver...
EvoLux Transportation, LLC
Problem DoD personnel rely on outdated systems like DTS and Space-A Flights under TRANSCOM’s Air Mobility Command. Modernization is essential to...
FibrX
Problem Critical assets across the military degrade silently from corrosion, fatigue, and thermal stress—causing unplanned failures, safety risks,...
Flagged Inc.
Problem We are tackling the escalating threat of AI-powered cyberattacks, including phishing, business email compromise (BEC), social engineering...
Gallatin AI
Problem Today's logisticians suffer from fragmented logistics common operating pictures, inaccurate demand forecasting, and highly manual...
Genesis Codes Inc
Problem Current IP-based protocol TCP fails to meet the performance, latency, and reliability needs of modern mission-critical, distributed...
Hadron Industries
Problem Army, Air Force and Navy network don't talk to each other. “Each of the services has systems to maintain situational awareness. Getting...
Helical Solar
Problem Expeditionary Energy, particularly 15-60KW AMMPS generators in a contested logistics environment such as INDOPACOM can suffer from...
HI-Spectral
– Traditional high-perf snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) systems are large, fragile, and slow, making them impractical for tactical or...
High Entropy Security
HES is focused on cybersecurity schemes for cryptographic key vulnerabilities in jammed, Zero-Trust environments. For terminal devices like UASs,...
Husmann Technolgies
Over 70% of facilities lack predictive maintenance (PdM) systems, and 51% cite high cost as the main barrier. This leaves critical infrastructure...
Infinite Composites, Inc.
Problem Increasing the capabilities of vehicles (satellites, hypersonics, UAVS, missile systems) by reducing the pressurized fuel storage weight,...
Intelligenic
Problem The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is highly manual, resulting in inefficiencies, high costs, and long delivery times. This...
Jericho Security
Problem Social Engineering still accounts for 98% of all cyber attacks, AI makes these attacks more effective. Solution Our solution uses...
Kinard Technologies
Problem sUAS are a lethal tactical problem that are also strategic defeat threat. Warfighters, assets and infrastructure are vulnerable to...
Kindo
Problem: Cyber is the front line. Adversaries exploit every gap, legacy tool, and manual process. The DoD can’t fight tomorrow’s battles with...
Kinnami
AmiShare is a secure, resilient edge data platform designed to ensure mission-critical data remains available, trusted, and governed across...
LeVanta Tech Inc.
The Pacific is large. A need exists for real-time/near-real-time cross-domain maritime data. The HALIA float-and-fly drone is a persistent sea-air...
Leviathan Air
Problem Attrition of distance. Transporting missions specific payloads and cargo long distances over oceans is a massive challenge, especially if...
Lionfish Cyber Security
Problem The DoD faces a shortfall of 28,000+ cyber professionals — a direct threat to U.S. military readiness. Critical missions, networks, and...
Lymbic AI
Problem AI-generated deepfakes have breached military and diplomatic systems by mimicking trusted voices and faces. Static biometrics—face, voice,...
Modular Misfits
We’ve got warfighters waiting 12 minutes for fire support during a firefight because systems can’t talk across services, partners, or platforms....
Motibera, Inc.
Problem Warfighters rely on electric motors and generators, but these often fail from bearing wear, oil breakdown, and shock — especially in harsh...
Mythos AI
Naval operations are constrained by crew shortages and the demand for persistent maritime presence. While unmanned systems offer a solution,...
NetCentrics Corporation
Problem Mission teams in distributed, contested, hybrid, or classified environments lack real-time, enriched cyber visibility—causing delayed...
Nighthawk Integrated Solutions LLC
Problem OverWatch Locator (OWL) was initially designed for firefighters operating in the austere fire conditions inside structures such as high...
Nooks
Problem: Small businesses face a major barrier to defense work: prohibitive cost and complexity of securing accredited Sensitive Compartmented...
O Analytics
Problem: Limited real-time capability to detect, classify and monitor not-before-seen space objects. Solution: Patent-pending detection and...
Optimized Optics, Inc.
Optics support defense systems from laser communications to Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance sensors, and commercial systems such as...
Photon-X, Inc.
Problem Warfighters face detection risks from battlefield laser sensors. Multi-sensor solutions are bulky, complex, and computationally intensive....
Pulse Space
Problem In future conflicts, dominance will be determined by control of the battlespace above national borders—including air and orbital domains....
Quantum Research Sciences
Problem Any warfighter making decisions within a large combinatorial situation...and most military decisions involve large combinatorial...
Radius Method
Mission software teams struggle with speed. While AI offers acceleration, DoD programs lack secure, compliant deployment for autonomous workflows,...
Redshred
Problem In 2025 mission capable rates for aircraft fell to their lowest in recent memory: 62% A surprising contributor to this was paper. Not even...
RelayNexus
Problem Relay Nexus addresses the critical limitations and exposure in underwater communication and navigation currently faced by both private and...
Rune Aero
In contested, infrastructure-limited environments like island chains, warfighters lack a scalable way to move critical cargo. Traditional aircraft...
Safire Technology Group
Problem Warfighters are forced to rely on underperforming batteries and fragmented energy infrastructure. This results in logistics complexity and...
Sentient Science
Problem Thousands of military parts are candidates for transition to additive manufacturing, due to obsolescence or excessive lead times. The main...
Sheridan Technologies
Sheridan Technologies is an agile engineering firm with a proven DoD track record, making systems smarter, from software to hardware. Problem...
Skyline Nav AI, Inc.
Problem: Loss of GPS or signal makes precise, real-time positioning for vehicles or devices impossible in mission-critical operations. Solution:...
Smarterreality Company
Smarterreality Company builds Smarter Reality, a technology capability for Planning missions. Its work is relevant to the Air, Land, Sea domain.
Spectrum Defense Systems
Problem: Modern EW training and deception missions lack affordable, modular systems that emit realistic RF signals across wide frequency ranges....
Starcycle
Problem Regulated, multiparty workflows (procurement, IP diligence) create cognitive load, rework, and opaque handoffs. Policy shifts outrun...
Stitch3D
Problem Traditional airfield inspections takes >8 hours; modern 3D laser scanning reduces capture to <1 hour. Yet LiDAR data remain difficult to...
Sunnoo
In modern forward-operating environments, the military’s reliance on diesel generators and fuel convoys creates serious vulnerabilities. Fuel...
Swarmbotics AI
Problem Current robotics program are too expensive, too fragile, and the form factor isn’t conducive to human-machine integration. Solution Our...
SynapseMX
Problem Aircraft readiness is critical to the DoD vision of a lethal, resilient, and adaptable force. Yet, legacy maintenance systems and outdated...
Thefraclexgroup Company
Thefraclexgroup Company builds Thefraclexgroup, a technology capability for national security missions. Its work is relevant to the Air domain.
Trackable Health AI
Trackable Health AI delivers a suite of AI products that transforms human performance oversight by pivoting from reactive care to proactive,...
Ultraview AI
The U.S. military operates a diverse fleet of aircraft, each requiring specialized tools and personnel for inspection. The Air Force is losing...
Ulysses
Fleets lack affordable, persistent surface-and-subsea coverage and ability to act; traffickers, saboteurs, and shadow assets are costing billions...
X-Hab 3D, Inc.
Problem Skilled labor is down 40%, material costs up, logistics strained. This is a national security threat. Building mission-critical...
XR 2 LEAD LLC
MARINER-SIM (Maritime Advanced RF Training Simulator) Problem: SOF and naval operators face mission-critical communication failures during...
Xvector Company
Xvector Company builds Xvector, a technology capability for national security missions.
Zephr.xyz Inc.
Problem Jamming and spoofing attacks challenges PNT across the globe. T-ROK systems are expensive, large profile (targets) that need a lot of...
ZeroMark, Inc.
Problem We dominate in the air and at sea — but on the ground, $500 drones outmaneuver warfighters still aiming by hand. In close combat, even...