Defense Curious: From Curious to Mission Critical
Defense Curious is built for founders and investors who are new to defense. This includes companies with compelling technology that have never navigated a government contract, as well as capital that has never deployed into the national security space. The event brings together this defense-curious community with senior government leaders for a full afternoon of candid conversation. Together, attendees will explore how commercial technology becomes mission-critical capability, how companies navigate the government acquisition process, and what specific space capability gaps the defense sector urgently needs industry to solve.
Agenda Highlights
• Keynote address by Maj. Gen. Joseph Kunkel on the evolution of military space and Ms. Natalie Riedel on closing critical capability gaps
• Interactive government panel and live Q&A
• Panels on government acquisition pathways and dual-use tech
• Segment on regional economic growth from defense contracts
• Fireside chat with Maj. Gen. Kim Crider (ret) on transitioning from military to commercial innovation
• Briefing on legal essentials including ITAR, FOCI, and IP rights
• Pre-assigned investor and founder matchmaking
• Extended networking reception with defense and industry leaders
Event Details
• Date: September 29, 2026
• Time: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Location: THE BR-DGE, 777 South Aviation Boulevard, El Segundo, CA
Carpooling and ridesharing are encouraged. Onsite parking is available for $20 (credit or debit only no ApplePay).
Please Note: Government access tickets are strictly for verified government and military members. Registrations will only be approved if you use an official .mil email address. Requests submitted with personal or non .mil emails will be automatically declined.
For networking sponsorship opportunities with THE BR-DGE, please email marketing@dti.space