# Venture Atlanta Showcases Southeast DefenseTech Startups

Venture Atlanta’s DefenseTech programming features nine defense-related startups pitching, against a backdrop of Southeast engineering talent, manufacturing capacity, military installations, and federal research activity. The companies and capabilities highlighted span drones, aerospace, advanced materials, autonomy, and mission systems. The signal identifies no active solicitations or contract awards, so the development points to an emerging supplier ecosystem rather than a current procurement opportunity.

- Contractors and government acquisition teams can use the startup showcase to identify potential suppliers and capabilities for future defense needs; the signal specifically recommends assessing opportunities across drones, aerospace, advanced materials, autonomy, and mission systems.
- The Southeast’s mix of industrial capacity, research activity, and military presence may expand the regional pool of defense technology firms. Companies seeking to enter the market can evaluate the startups and regional ecosystem highlighted through Venture Atlanta.
- No contract values, solicitations, or proposal deadlines are reported, so procurement professionals should not treat the showcase as an open competition or award announcement.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Defense & Military
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** October 14, 2026

### Government Entities
- Department of War (DoW)
- United States Air Force (USAF)

### Vendors
- JetZero ()
- Lykos Industries ()
- Askari Defense ()
- Skyfire AI ()
- Reditus Space ()

### Key Quotes
> North Carolina stands out in the Southeast as a state that has aligned government, universities, business, and community to attract innovative companies like JetZero.
> — Sonny Stern, Head of Customer Support at JetZero

> I would say we need a greater sense of shared identity within defense and deep tech.
> — Jake Kaempf, Lykos Industries

> The Southeast sits in an interesting space related to the defense tech and we expect to see a lot of growth here from domestic and foreign defense tech companies.
> — Todd Ehrlich, Rule 1 Ventures investor

### Sources
- [It's Time To Pay Attention To The Southeast's DefenseTech](https://www.hypepotamus.com/southeasts-defense-tech-startups-2026) - Hypepotamus