Dual-Use Technology Innovation Summit
Bridging Defense & Commercial Innovation
Join HAX Ventures and the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship for an exclusive summit connecting founders, investors, and defense innovation leaders at the forefront of dual-use technology.
Apply to Pitch Here
What to Expect
This summit brings together the defense innovation ecosystem—from government program managers to startup founders to academic researchers—for candid conversations about commercializing dual-use technologies.
You'll hear from veterans-turned-founders, defense procurement leaders, and CMU researchers on what it actually takes to navigate the fog of defense innovation. Plus, government organizations will reverse-pitch their technology needs directly to the room, and select startups will demo their solutions to an audience of investors and program managers.
Agenda
9:00 AM — Check-In & Networking
9:30 AM — Opening Remarks
Tim McNulty, VP of Government Relations, CMU
Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship
HAX Ventures
DART
10:10 AM — Fireside Chat with Palantir
10:50 AM — Fireside Chat with Astrobotic
11:30 AM — Panel: Breaking through the Fog of Dual- Use: Commercialization in Defense Innovation
12:20 PM — Lunch
1:00 PM — Reverse Pitch Session: Dual-Use organizations share their technology priorities and what they're looking for from startups
1:50 PM — Startup Demos Selected founders pitch to investors and government partners
2:50 PM — Panel: R&D Opportunities in Defense Innovation. Academic researchers discuss the intersection of cutting-edge research and defense applications
3:30 PM — Closing Remarks
Who Should Attend
Founders building dual-use or defense-adjacent technologies
Investors exploring defense tech opportunities
Researchers interested in defense applications
Veterans transitioning to entrepreneurship
Anyone curious about the defense innovation ecosystem
4:00 - 6:00 PM - Evening Social
Continue the conversation at an informal networking happy hour — details to follow for registered attendees.