Building the right relationships

Key stakeholders in defense for enduring contracts

Last week, we explored how companies can expand from being defense-focused to more broadly commercialized.

But many companies that I talk to aren’t looking to do that—at least not yet.

Maybe the company is an early stage defense-tech company looking to grow beyond a single Phase I SBIR, or it’s established commercial opportunities looking to expand into defense.

Maybe you’re a founder trying to grow and expand. Maybe you’re a VC looking to help give an edge to your portfolio companies. Maybe you work in the defense modernization space and are still trying to figure out how the sausage is made. Regardless, if you’re reading this, you’re likely interested in knowing about how to do business with the government / Defense Department.

In this edition, we’ll explore three key stakeholders (end-users, Congress, and military decision makers) that a company must address to succeed in doing business with the DoD.