Challenges of Selling to the DoD

Most people in defense acquisition think the biggest challenge in business development is finding the right opportunity. It’s not. The real challenge? Shaping it before it ever hits SAM.gov. For a couple of years, I’ve watched well-intentioned teams burn resources chasing RFPs they were never positioned to win. Why? Because they showed up too late—reactive instead of proactive. There’s a persistent myth that if you check all the compliance boxes and submit on time, you’re in the game. But by then, the game’s already been played. That myth persists because it’s safe. It’s easy to track solicitations. It’s harder—and more strategic—to cultivate relationships with mission owners, influence requirements, and become part of the solution before it’s formalized. The damage? Wasted BD dollars. Frustrated teams. Low win rates. Minimal mission impact. What works instead: deep listening across the ecosystem. Engaging end-users early. Connecting their pain points to your capabilities in meaningful, measurable ways. It's about becoming the trusted partner who understands the problem better than anyone. The one who offers unique and valuable perspectives, helps navigate alternatives, provides ongoing advice or consultation, and educates the customer on new issues and outcomes. If you're trying to grow in the DoD space, ask yourself: Are we chasing opportunities, or are we shaping them? The difference isn’t tactical—it’s transformational. #DefenseAcquisition #BusinessDevelopment #DoD #GovCon #MissionFirst #CaptureStrategy #GrowthLeadership

Maggie G. at Shield Capital and Gleb Shevchuk at drone startup Neros Technologies, provide an eye-opening and informative case study of what it takes to build hardware for DoD. Neros is one of the platforms on the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)'s Blue UAS list, a vetted list of commercial drone platforms that meet the DoD's cybersecurity, supply chain, and operational standards. Basically, compliance with NDAA standards required Neros to design nearly all its own components. "During the first month or so of Neros, like a lot of others in the FPV drone world, started by using off-the-shelf components, many of which were built around cheap, widely available Chinese electronics. But it quickly became obvious that if we wanted to meet the NDAA's compliance standards, we'd have to rip most of those Chinese made components out and start from scratch." Actually, being on the Blue UAS List still doesn't mean that nothing comes from China, because some components are impossible to source outside China. This includes motors, cameras, as well as carbon fiber frames. Another challenge is hardening & testing. "Hardware systems need to reliably work even after being dropped out of an airplane, deployed in the middle of a rainstorm or sandstorm, or jammed with enemy electronic warfare devices, and that takes a lot of testing." Also, "MIL-SPEC standards were developed for large, multi billion-dollar weapon systems that are too important and expensive to lose. FPV drones, in contrast, cost less than $5000 and don't need to last 10 years. They don't even need to survive their mission. That shift in mindset hasn't caught up across the board, and it's part of the reason why DoD procurement is still slow and expensive." It's easy to underestimate these very real obstacles. In addition to those above, the article details further challenges of Electronic Warfare Hardening and Integration & Modularity. All of these have a direct impact on supply chain, cost, performance, and manufacturability for defense tech startups. https://lnkd.in/emhB5tBA #defensetech #UAV #drones #defenseindustry #defensemanufacturing #defenseinnovation 

3 steps to navigate the DoD’s hidden power structures There is no front door to the Department of Defense. Only a maze of stakeholders who don’t speak your language If you’re a startup trying to break into defense, you already know the feeling: • You demo • They’re impressed • Then… nothing That’s because most founders approach the DoD like a single buyer. But Giles W. - retired Marine and former AWS mission lead - says federal traction happens when you solve for three separate power centers at once. Here’s how he breaks it down for early-stage teams: __________________________ Step #1: Earn trust at the edge This is the warfighter (the end-user who actually needs your tech) They’re the ones facing the problem you solve. But showing up with a sharp demo isn’t enough. You have to: • Solve an actual operational pain • Prove usability in the field • Get them to advocate up the chain Without their support, your tech’s just another line in a white paper. __________________________ Step # 2: Speak procurement to the PM Program Managers are the system owners. They hold the purse strings and care about: • Compliance • Integration • Risk Giles calls this the most overlooked gatekeeper. Founders win by mapping capabilities directly to what the PM’s protecting—not just what the warfighter wants. Your job is to make their job easier. __________________________ Step # 3: Align to a senior leader’s mission (without wasting their time) Senior leaders aren’t blocking you, they’re buried. “Clobbered with time,” as Giles puts it. You need to: • Show clear strategic fit • Help them visualize outcomes • Never over-explain This is where mission relevance, timing, and optics meet. __________________________ Most founders sell to the DoD like it’s one person. It’s not. It’s a three-headed buyer. And you only break in when you earn the trust of all three. That’s how Giles now helps pre-Series A companies survive federal. This is just the map outline. Giles walks you through the terrain. Listen to the full episode of The Amplified CEO https://lnkd.in/ea2sS8w5

What are the top barriers companies face to starting up and scaling up in the Department of Defense? That was the impetus for a large research project Jeff Decker and I recently took on. The WSJ just published an article titled "Defense Startups Risk Becoming ‘Failed Experiment’ Without More Pentagon Dollars." But spoiler alert: it's not just the money preventing companies from scaling! This morning we published the findings from our n=859 survey - the article is now live in the Texas National Security Review! Key findings below - check out the links in the comments for a complete breakdown on the survey, the findings, and our recommendations: 1) Partnering with different types of companies requires different tactics. 2) Defense Department partnerships with new entrants to the federal market often falter because companies and buyers are disconnected. 3) New entrants are unprepared to meet federal government requirements like technical certifications (e.g., airworthiness) or licensing requirements (e.g., authority to operate), which can impede technology transition and cause delays in award. 4) The U.S. government’s overly assertive stance on intellectual property rights delays awards and shrinks the pool of companies willing to sell to the Defense Department. 5) The difficulty companies face in obtaining security clearances and accessing physical and virtual classified environments limits the U.S. government’s exposure to new or commercial capabilities.