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 half-day 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
10:00 AM — Check-In & Networking
10:20 AM — Opening Remarks
Tim McNulty, VP of Government Relations, CMU
Meredith Grelli, Managing & Interim Executive Director, Swartz Center
Andy Gollach, Partner, HAX Ventures
10:40 AM — Panel: Breaking Through the Fog of Dual-Use Commercialization in Defense Innovation
11:30 AM — Lunch
12:00 PM — Reverse Pitch Session Government organizations share their technology priorities and what they're looking for from startups
12:30 PM — Panel: R&D Opportunities in Defense Innovation Academic researchers discuss the intersection of cutting-edge research and defense applications
1:20 PM — Startup Demos Selected founders pitch to investors and government partners
2:00 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
Evening Social (Separate Event)
Continue the conversation at an informal networking happy hour — details to follow for registered attendees.