Proven Expertise, Endless Opportunity

Propel partners with leading startup accelerators like Techstars and MassChallenge to create new opportunities for both DoD customers and early-stage ventures. By leveraging the proven developmental programs of our partners and NSIN’s nation-wide network, Propel expands DoD customer access to the venture community and assists start-ups in transforming their technology into capabilities.
Ventures that apply to Propel-associated accelerators go through a rigorous selection process to form a cohort focused around DoD challenges. Through a multi-month process, with the guidance of commercial mentors and DoD liaisons, cohort members improve their technology, strengthen their understanding of customer needs, and build their team into a viable business. The result is a small business that is much more prepared to work with the Department of Defense and succeed in the commercial market. Accelerator programs culminate in a demo day, when the start-ups show their progress to prospective customers and private sector investors.

Growing the National Security Innovation Base

Past Propel programming has been focused on areas of technological innovation relevant to DoD, such as unmanned systems, high-performance hardware, and software, computer vision, augmented reality/virtual reality, and data-enabled recruiting, training, and education. Crucially, these technologies have both commercial and defense applications, because we believe that the sustainable growth of our partners depends on having broad markets.

Proven Track Record

In FY19, Propel collaborated with two accelerators to advance more than 20 high-potential dual-use ventures. To date, these ventures have received 31 DoD awards, as well as more than $31 million in DoD grants and private investment, at a 5:1 ratio of private to public dollars.