Non-dilutive Defense & Space accelerators
These defense and space programs fund or engage startups without taking any equity, because the government cannot hold stakes in your company. The money arrives as SBIR or STTR contracts, prize competition awards, or in some cases no money at all, just structured access to government customers. Each record states the published award ranges, the submission portal, and whether participation actually pays.
Showing 7 of 7 programs
| Check size | Equity | Terms | Format | Next window | Signal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFWERX SBIR/STTR Open Topicdual-use defense technology (Air Force) | Phase I: up to $75,000 (SBIR) / $110,000 (STTR); Phase II: up to $2,000,000; Direct-to-Phase-II: up to $1,250,000 | Not publishedNot an equity accelerator: a non-dilutive SBIR/STTR contract funding pipeline ('front door to the Department of the Air Force'). Phase I is a 3-month feasibility contract; Phase II requires a signed Customer Memorandum from an Air Force end user. Equity_pct null because government contracts take no equity. City/state null: AFWERX operates hubs in multiple locations and proposals are submitted online via DSIP. | Non-dilutive | Not published | Remote | Aug 18, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| Army xTech Prize CompetitionsArmy technology (prize competitions) | Not publishedNon-dilutive prize competition series: Phase 1 white paper, Phase 2 pitch or demonstration events, with cash prizes plus potential follow-on Army contracts (incl. SBIR pathways), mentorship and networking. Prize pools vary per competition. xTech Apex Intercept (low-cost interceptors) offers up to $8,000,000 total: up to 30 Phase 1 finalists at $25,000 each and up to 18 Phase 2 winners sharing $7.25M across four topic areas (per the Apex Intercept competition page, July 2026). Eligibility spans small, medium and large businesses from the US and allied countries. | Not publishedNon-dilutive prize competition series: Phase 1 white paper, Phase 2 pitch or demonstration events, with cash prizes plus potential follow-on Army contracts (incl. SBIR pathways), mentorship and networking. Prize pools vary per competition. xTech Apex Intercept (low-cost interceptors) offers up to $8,000,000 total: up to 30 Phase 1 finalists at $25,000 each and up to 18 Phase 2 winners sharing $7.25M across four topic areas (per the Apex Intercept competition page, July 2026). Eligibility spans small, medium and large businesses from the US and allied countries. | Non-dilutive | Not published | Remote | Jul 24, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| Catalyst Accelerator (Catalyst Space Accelerator)space and national-security tech for U.S. Space Force | Not publishedDefense customer-discovery accelerator connecting startups with DoD/Space Force stakeholders (Space Delta 7 AI/ML 'CAAMO' cohort and BMC3I TAP Lab Cohort 4 running Spring 2026); 6-week Stage 1 cohort experience. The site does not publish stipend/investment figures or equity terms, so those are null; historically cohorts have been non-dilutive with no equity taken. No next application deadline was posted as of 2026-07-21. | Not publishedDefense customer-discovery accelerator connecting startups with DoD/Space Force stakeholders (Space Delta 7 AI/ML 'CAAMO' cohort and BMC3I TAP Lab Cohort 4 running Spring 2026); 6-week Stage 1 cohort experience. The site does not publish stipend/investment figures or equity terms, so those are null; historically cohorts have been non-dilutive with no equity taken. No next application deadline was posted as of 2026-07-21. | Non-dilutive | CO | Hybrid | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| Hyperspace Challengespace technology for USSF/AFRL | Not publishedGovernment-customer discovery accelerator, not an investment program: 2025 Fall Challenge page states 'There is NO promise of funding of any sort as a result of participating.' Selected companies receive 6-10 hours of 1:1 consulting plus access to government customers; earlier editions (e.g., 2021) offered up to $100k in cash prizes. Investment/equity null accordingly. 2025 cycle: applications closed 2025-09-16, Accelerator Week 2025-11-05/06. No 2026 cycle announced yet as of 2026-07-21, so next_deadline null. | Not publishedGovernment-customer discovery accelerator, not an investment program: 2025 Fall Challenge page states 'There is NO promise of funding of any sort as a result of participating.' Selected companies receive 6-10 hours of 1:1 consulting plus access to government customers; earlier editions (e.g., 2021) offered up to $100k in cash prizes. Investment/equity null accordingly. 2025 cycle: applications closed 2025-09-16, Accelerator Week 2025-11-05/06. No 2026 cycle announced yet as of 2026-07-21, so next_deadline null. | Non-dilutive | NM | Hybrid | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| NSIN (National Security Innovation Network)national security venture/talent programs | Not publishedDoD program office (formerly MD5) under DIU running collaboration and acceleration programs (Hacking for Defense, boot camps, venture programs) with non-dilutive support. No investment amounts published. Current programming could not be verified: nsin.mil homepage carried no program or deadline content when fetched, and no cohort announcements post-DIU restructuring (2024) were found, so status is marked possibly_inactive pending confirmation. | Not publishedDoD program office (formerly MD5) under DIU running collaboration and acceleration programs (Hacking for Defense, boot camps, venture programs) with non-dilutive support. No investment amounts published. Current programming could not be verified: nsin.mil homepage carried no program or deadline content when fetched, and no cohort announcements post-DIU restructuring (2024) were found, so status is marked possibly_inactive pending confirmation. | Non-dilutive | VA | Hybrid | None confirmed | Jul 22, 2026 | Secondary sourcePossibly dormantWe could not confirm a recent or upcoming cohort. It may have paused or wound down. Verify before applying. |
| SOFWERXspecial operations technology | Not publishedNot a cohort accelerator: an innovation platform connecting companies to USSOCOM via Tech Tuesday pitch slots, assessment/technical experimentation events, tech sprints, RFIs, and SBIR opportunities that can lead to government contracts. No equity taken and no fixed award amount, hence nulls. Site listed multiple SBIR/event deadlines July-September 2026 but no single program deadline date was extractable, so next_deadline is null. | Not publishedNot a cohort accelerator: an innovation platform connecting companies to USSOCOM via Tech Tuesday pitch slots, assessment/technical experimentation events, tech sprints, RFIs, and SBIR opportunities that can lead to government contracts. No equity taken and no fixed award amount, hence nulls. Site listed multiple SBIR/event deadlines July-September 2026 but no single program deadline date was extractable, so next_deadline is null. | Non-dilutive | FL | Hybrid | Aug 19, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
| SpaceWERX (SBIR/STTR, STRATFI/TACFI, Accelerate)space technology for the U.S. Space Force | Phase I: $75K-$180K; Phase II (incl. D2P2): $1.25M-$1.8M; TACFI: $375K-$2M; STRATFI: $3M-$15M (per SpaceWERX Get Funded page, July 2026) | Not publishedInnovation arm of the U.S. Space Force; funds companies through non-dilutive SBIR/STTR contracts (Spark, Vector, Accelerate pathways incl. cohorts and STRATFI/TACFI scale-up funding). Award amounts were not stated on the fetched page, so investment_amount is null; equity null because contracts take no equity. Space PY26.2 TACFI accepts submissions on a rolling basis. | Non-dilutive | Not published | Remote | Jul 22, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 | Verified |
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