​The FORGE 2026 After Party brings together the people building, funding, and shaping national resilience. This is an evening for the operators, founders, investors, and mission partners who are directly in the work of strengthening our defense and dual-use technology base, a chance to connect over drinks and continue the conversations that started earlier in the day.
​Attendance is reserved for those directly involved in the national resilience ecosystem. Space is limited.

Building on the momentum of our Missions + Markets series, FORGE 2026 is our marquee gathering, designed to facilitate connections in National Landing between funders and startups across the defense and dual-use sectors. Since FORGE launched in March 2025, our ventures have closed 28 funding rounds totaling more than $115 million, from pre-seed grants to a $25M Series A. This is where capital meets the companies the country depends on. Join us on October 28 in National Landing.

 A half-day showcase bringing together leading defense tech companies and stakeholders from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to share firsthand insights from the front lines of European security.
​This is a rare opportunity to connect directly with the innovators shaping the future of European defense, alongside a curated audience of venture capital investors, Department of War representatives, U.S.-based defense startups, and other key players in the ecosystem.

Join Northrop Grumman for a focused, high-signal forum connecting founders, investors, and technologists in National IQ.
​In one morning, attendees will hear VC insights on the state of the industry, reverse pitches by Northrop Grumman on their platforms and mission needs, and a showcase of high-potential startups.

Join Knox Systems for a Lunch & Learn designed for startups navigating, or beginning to think about, the federal market.
​We’ll break down the FedRAMP landscape, what startups should know as they consider selling into government, and how Knox helps technology companies accelerate the path to FedRAMP and the federal market.

vcIQ Founder Sessions is a series of curated, small-group conversations designed to give founders direct access to leading venture investors in specific sectors. Each session brings together 2–3 active investors and a room of 15–20 founders.

This session will focus on deep tech as part of D.C. Deep Tech Week.

This curated, small-group conversation brings together 2-3 experts and a room of 15 startups for an interactive, off-the-record discussion. ​This special session during Deep Tech Week brings together experts from several branches of the Department of Defense for an interactive, off-the-record discussion. Defense and dual-use investors will also be in the session.

Uniting small businesses, government, and industry to scale breakthrough ideas, build enduring partnerships, and shape the future of innovation in support of national defense.

​See the AI startups solving war and peace – live, in one room.

First, a panel will feature Fiona E. Murray, NATO Innovation Fund chair and Brian Abrams, B Ventures managing partner. ​Then, meet VCs, family offices, and founders ready to invest, support, and collaborate in the Arlington, VA region.

As global supply chains become increasingly contested, resilient domestic manufacturing, logistics, critical minerals, energy storage, and trusted hardware have become matters of both economic competitiveness and national security.

Join us for an evening of networking, startup pitches, and discussion with founders developing technologies that strengthen America’s industrial base and supply chain resilience.

Event details soon to be finalized, request to join to receive updates.

 vcIQ Founder Sessions is a series of curated, small-group conversations designed to give founders direct access to leading venture investors in specific sectors. Each session brings together 2–3 active investors and a room of 15–20 founders.

This session will focus on perspectives from the front lines of hardware investing.

This curated, small-group conversation brings together 2-3 experts and a room of 15 startups for an interactive, off-the-record discussion.
​The second session provides a direct dialogue with two leading legal firms, Knobbe Martens and Pillsbury, who will share their expertise on corporate governance, financing, formation, intellectual property, and much more.

​This curated, small-group conversation brings together 2-3 experts and a room of 15 startups for an interactive, off-the-record discussion.
​The initial session will provide a direct dialogue with two primes, Northrop Grumman and SAIC, who will share their perspective on the long-term strategic roadmaps and mission-critical capabilities that will define the future.

​Missions + Markets is back, and this time, we’re keeping it casual. Come explore the new epicenter for dual-use and national security tech in National Innovation Quarter as we open the doors to the ecosystem hub at 1550 Crystal Drive. Home to Virtus Innovation Center, VC in DC, and Silicon Valley Defense Group, the hub is available for co-working and touch-down seats for companies in dual-use and national security.

​vcIQ Founder Sessions is a curated, small-group conversation series designed to give founders building at the intersection of commercial innovation and national security direct access to the investors funding them.
​Each session brings together 2-3 active investors and a room of 15-20 founders for an interactive, off-the-record discussion focused on how capital actually moves within dual-use technology and defense.

A focused convening on the innovation and workforce needs shaping the data center ecosystem.

The summit will feature expert and emerging voices in candid conversation about the opportunities, tradeoffs, and decisions defining the future of data center infrastructure, grounded in real-world experience and cross-sector collaboration.

The GenAI Innovator Sessions are kicking off with an exclusive deep dive into how generative AI is revolutionizing code modernization.
​Hear from DC-based Rhino.AI, a pioneering GenAI startup built on Amazon Bedrock, and discover how they identified an untapped market opportunity, scaled rapidly to solve complex challenges for financial and government institutions, and leveraged AWS to accelerate their growth.

This Teledyne LeCroy in person seminar focuses on practical techniques for debugging high speed serial data links using real-world measurement and analysis methods.
Topics include signal integrity fundamentals, eye pattern formation and analysis, jitter measurements, equalization techniques, channel de-embedding, and serial data decoding. Attendees will see examples of how oscilloscopes are used to identify and isolate common issues in modern high-speed interfaces.

​Through a mix of fireside chats and curated panels, the program will explore the technologies and industries defining this moment, including defense tech, aerospace, AI, quantum, energy, and the infrastructure needed to move breakthroughs into real world deployment.

​Missions + Markets is partnering with AWS for an exclusive deep dive into how startups can leverage the platform to accelerate growth and navigate the complexities of the defense market. Hear firsthand from a notable defense tech success story and unlock the tools needed to grow your business alongside the world’s leading cloud provider.

A D.C. Hackathon focused on real-world national security challenges and operational impact.

Uniting small businesses, government, and industry to scale breakthrough ideas, build enduring partnerships, and shape the future of innovation in support of national defense.

A curated, small-group conversation series designed to give founders direct access to leading venture investors in specific sectors.

​The Smart Mobility Lab team is pleased to host a workshop at the Academic Building in Alexandria. Next generation technology has arrived at intersections in Northern Virginia, and it’s poised to expand. Please join us and hear about the past, present, and future of signalized intersections.

Bringing the Ukrainian Defense Tech ecosystem to Washington, D.C., connecting US investors, defense experts, and policy-makers with Ukrainian startups and scale-ups delivering combat-proven innovation.

7:00pm