Janus pathfinder series: Workbench to warfighter – building tech that matters
Janus pathfinder series Workbench to warfighters – building tech that matters 12 January 2026 Innovation alone doesn’t win wars but the deployment of those innovations do. That was the hard-earned truth shared by Chris Manuel, former US Army Special Forces operator, aerospace VP and founder of defence tech ventures including ROVER, Simple Key Loader (SKL) and Tactinet. In a candid conversation hosted by Tanya Suárez, Chris unpacked what it really takes for startups to cross the last mile of innovation – moving from promising prototypes to battlefield-proven systems. Chris’s unique perspective comes from decades of operational experience combined with entrepreneurial grit. His mantra is simple: “Common sense and battlefield realities often trump specifications.” Startups often design for perfection in the lab, but in defence, success means overlaying technology onto operational concepts, solving real problems under real conditions, not just in theory. He illustrated this through three powerful case studies. The first was Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER), born from a critical need in Afghanistan and Iraq where troops were flying blind into surveillance missions. Commanders needed real-time visuals from 100 miles away, but the official programme was 15 years out. Chris’s team built a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) with millisecond latency and proved it in the field. This taught him the massive value of using animations and demos to help leaders visualise unfamiliar tech, and ship a threshold capability early, even if it’s clunky, to get feedback from warfighters fast and with accuracy. The second example is the Simple Key Loader (SKL), which evolved from a small team of “13 people in a loft” into a full Program of Record (PoR) delivering over a million devices. A PoR represents a major acquisition initiative that is officially approved, funded and included in the Future Years Defence Program (FYDP). It signals a long-term, stable commitment to develop, procure, or sustain a specific system. For defence contractors, achieving PoR status means predictable, recurring revenue and a structured role within national defence programs. This transition required a shift in mindset, emphasizing reliability, repeatability and leveraging off-the-shelf components wherever possible. Industrialization may lack glamour, but it is critical for credibility and profitability. Finally, there was Tactinet, a PDA-sized (palm-sized device) tactical network that initially failed. Early adopters wanted to kill it. Chris took engineers to Iraq, went on patrol and fixed code in the field. This quick thinking and innovation led to a $150M contract and a converted critic who became a champion. The major lesson here is clear: walk the walk – meaning get engineers and operators in the same environment to work together on solving the problem quicker and more efficiently. Adapting your culture with engineers and owning your core strategy Beyond technology, Chris emphasised culture. Silicon Valley norms don’t translate to the battlefield. You don’t always need engineers in the line of fire, but you need a culture that listens to ground truth, not just documents. You need to stand behind your product – anywhere it goes. On strategy, his advice for founders is to own the “secret sauce.” Fund your core IP yourself to retain ownership, use government money for integration rather than invention, and position yourself as a systems integrator to add value without giving away your crown jewels. When working with primes, don’t fear them but leverage their scale while protecting your IP. Demonstrate capability without exposing schematics and let them handle bureaucracy while you deliver innovation. Perfection is the enemy of deployment Innovators need to remember, that good enough beats perfect, a 70% solution today saves lives. And think like a prime: focus relentlessly on end-user capability. Chris closed with a challenge: build a threshold capability. It doesn’t need to be perfect – just tangible enough for a warfighter to say, “I can use this.” From there, iteration becomes collaboration. Looking ahead, he sees AI and cyber as the next frontiers for integration – domains where speed to deploy will again be decisive. Share on social media LinkedIn Email WhatsApp Read more Janus welcomes NATO DIANA 2026 Programme innovators Anita Friend: Bolstering innovation into defence The Strategic Edge Summit
Janus welcomes NATO DIANA 2026 Programme innovators
Offical press release Janus welcomes NATO DIANA 2026 Programme innovators 11 December 2025 Janus Allies, the UK dual-use technology accelerator, welcomes eight companies specialising in Contested Electromagnetic Environments for the NATO DIANA 2026 Programme LONDON (11 December 2025) – Janus Allies consortium (Janus), in partnership with the Defence and Security Accelerator, part of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI-DASA), is excited to welcome a new cohort of innovative companies into the NATO DIANA 2026 Programme. This year NATO DIANA received a record-breaking 3,680 submissions across all NATO member states for this year’s call. The 2026 NATO DIANA cohort has emerged from a highly selective process, placing them in roughly the top 4% of applicants and among the most competitive dual-use innovators in the Alliance. Bringing us eight companies coming to join us on the Janus Accelerator Programme: LSMedical from Estonia Slipstream Design from the United Kingdom FOSSA Systems from Spain Tern AI Inc. from the United States of America Testnor AS from Norway Oledcomm from France SDQ Solutions Canada from Canada CX2 Inc. from the United States of America http://janusallies.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NATO-DIANA-Innovator-Video-1.mp4#t=1 “As we enter our second year delivering the NATO DIANA programme with UKDI-DASA, we’re building on the momentum to strengthen the UK’s role in NATO priorities in line with the Strategic Defence Review. More contact with the end-user and better interoperability for adoption at pace.We are welcoming a new cohort with technologies that address the contested electromagnetic environments that can deny, degrade and disrupt operations. They are absolutely critical to maintaining operational advantage for the UK and NATO allies. These innovators shape capabilities that matter, and our goal remains clear: ensure the UK leads in defence innovation, while reinforcing allied technological sovereignty.” Tanya Suarez, Founder and CEO of IoT Tribe, lead of Janus consortium welcomes the new Janus cohort Over the next six months, they’ll work closely with our team and partners to support the scaling of their solutions and accelerate adoption across the Alliance. The Janus programme offers a mix of in-person and virtual training: workshops, lectures, mentorship, and guidance aimed to support their dual-use strategies “The UK NATO DIANA programme is built around defence and tailored to innovators of this calibre, providing best-in-class support to build on their existing strengths. Over six months they will sharpen their approach through wargaming, operational exercises and direct engagement with end-users and decision makers, strengthening their ability to enter defence markets, secure adoption and navigate procurement pathways. A transatlantic group of entrepreneurs, academics and defence specialists will help them refine their approach to defence and adopt industry-leading, mission-ready ways of working.” James Murray, Accelerator Manager at Janus, from the SETSquared Partnership “Our role is to back innovators and help them transition from early-stage concepts to investment-ready companies. By building dual-use technologies and leveraging our curated peer-to-peer investor network, we create confidence and unlock scale – strengthening NATO interoperability, hardening supply chains and delivering long-term security with tangible commercial returns.” Sami Moughrabie, General Partner, Atmos Ventures By working with experts from defence innovation ecosystems in the UK and the wider NATO alliance, the 2026 cohort will be prepared for defence procurement while broadening their commercial opportunities. The strongest dual-use ventures learn to align mission and margin, and the London site is set up to help them do exactly that. “We are delighted to welcome another cohort of innovators to the UK Accelerator, and are excited to see how their innovative technologies could help shape the future of defence. The UKDI-DASA partnership with NATO DIANA and the delivery of the UK Accelerator programme, is key to unlocking the potential of dual-use technologies to solve critical defence challenges and create solutions that strengthen security across the Alliance and we look forward to supporting these innovators in their innovation journey.” Anita Friend, Head of UKDI-DASA — More about the NATO DIANA 2026 Innovators All the companies selected starting in January 2026, will receive contractual funding and gain access to DIANA’s expanding network of 16 accelerator sites and more than 200 test centres across the 32 NATO nations. They will be working on solutions across 10 areas drawn from key priorities identified by Allies: Energy and Power Advanced Communication Technologies Contested Electromagnetic Environments Human Resilience and Biotechnologies Critical Infrastructure and Logistics Operations in Extreme Environments Maritime Operations Resilient Space Operations Autonomy and Unmanned Systems Data Assisted Decision Making More information about the companies can be found at 2026 Cohort of Companies For any questions on Janus’ announcement, media or guidelines, please contact janus@iottribe.org More about NATO DIANA NATO DIANA finds and accelerates cutting-edge technologies to deliver battle-winning defence and security solutions for the Alliance, while fostering deep-tech innovation. As a cornerstone of NATO’s innovation and technology strategy, DIANA brings together world-class talent and the latest advancements to maintain the Alliance’s technological edge. Leveraging a network of leading accelerator sites, test centres, expert mentors, and Allied expertise across 32 nations, DIANA empowers innovators working at the intersection of defence readiness, commercial potential, and technological breakthroughs. About Janus Named after the Roman god of duality to reflect its approach to support dual-use applications, the Janus consortium is a four-partner, delivery-ready consortium with skills and expertise across business support and growth, science and technology, defence and security and deeptech investment. Led by the Defence and Security Accelerator, part of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI-DASA), Janus is a consortium in partnership with IoT Tribe, a specialist deeptech accelerator ecosystem; Atmos Ventures, a trans-Atlantic deeptech and defence investor; and the SETsquared Partnership, a dynamic collaboration between six leading research-led UK universities. We aim to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of NATO’s defence industrial base and expand the range of innovative capabilities available for acquisition and deployment by civilian, defence and security customers in the UK and internationally by strengthening the pipeline of talent and new, innovative companies operating in the defence and security markets. Share on social media LinkedIn Email WhatsApp Official press release on UK Gov Janus welcomes NATO DIANA 2026 Programme innovators December 11, 2025 Read More Anita Friend: Bolstering innovation into defence September 4, 2025 Read More
Anita Friend: Bolstering innovation into defence
Anita Friend: Bolstering innovation and readiness into defence 26 November 2025 Bolstering innovation and readiness into defence National security is fundamentally about protecting our people and our values. Innovation sits at the heart of this mission and supporting the innovation ecosystem is more vital than ever. We’re witnessing the return of strategic competition between nation states. Our adversaries are investing heavily in new technologies and processes, constantly seeking to gain the upper hand. This reality means we cannot afford to be reactive. We must stay ahead, maintaining both strategic and operational advantage through innovation to harness the potential within our industrial and academic base better and quicker than our adversaries. The innovation imperative So, what do we mean by innovation? Simply put, innovation is about generating new ideas and putting them into practice to give us an edge over our adversaries. It’s not just about developing new technologies (although that’s certainly important). it’s about exploiting ideas to achieve real, measurable impact. But here’s the crucial point: technology is only valuable if we know how to use it in ways that bring genuine benefit. This requires something special – a fusion of scientific and technological expertise with strategic and operational frontline knowledge. Innovation also only delivers value if it can be implemented at scale and pace, which means the business behind the idea and the partnerships between suppliers and government are absolutely critical. Breaking down barriers We recognise that barriers to engagement exist in our current system. That’s why the Defence and Security Accelerator, part of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI-DASA), is working actively to overcome them. We’re raising awareness of defence and security challenges, helping provide clear demand signals to innovators and enabling suppliers to understand exactly how they can contribute by matching innovative ideas to genuine end-user needs. Crucially, we’re reaching out to non-traditional suppliers and working to level the playing field. The next breakthrough idea isn’t the sole preserve of government or traditional defence contractors. We need to access the widest possible range of innovators, drawing on scientific, technological, and entrepreneurial expertise from across the spectrum from prime contractors and SMEs to micro-businesses and academia. Building an inclusive ecosystem This approach requires us to ensure our innovation ecosystem is truly inclusive and encourages collaboration at every level. We’re forming partnerships across industry, academia, and government because we know that bringing together innovators with policy makers and capability owners produces the best results. The key is engaging with innovators throughout their journey to ensure outputs genuinely meet operational requirements. We’re bringing end-users into the innovation process much earlier and maintaining engagement throughout the entire innovation journey. This approach ensures we achieve effective pull-through and successful translation of research into operational capability. DASA’s role and impact For those unfamiliar with UKDI-DASA, we find and fund exploitable innovation to support UK defence and security. We run funding competitions addressing specific challenges faced by government stakeholders – both targeted, time-bound themed competitions and through our also through our enduring Open Call programme. Since our establishment in 2016, we’ve evolved significantly. We’ve moved beyond simply finding and funding innovation to providing comprehensive support for the businesses behind the innovations, helping them grow and scale their technologies effectively. The impact of this approach is now clearly measurable. DASA’s Impact Report 2025 with Beauhurst demonstrates how our support for innovative small and medium-sized enterprises is delivering significant benefits for both national security and economic growth. The numbers are compelling: UKDI-DASA-funded innovators generated £972 million in Gross Value Added between 2019 and 2023 Companies receiving UKDI-DASA funding secured an additional £592 million in equity investment (with £174 million raised in 2024 alone) UKDI-DASA-funded companies created 1,842 new jobs as they expanded their operations In addition, many UKDI-DASA-funded SMEs are now actively engaged in both domestic and international markets, demonstrating both the broad scope of our support and the global relevance of UK defence and security innovation. Looking forward: UK Defence Innovation The establishment of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) represents a significant commitment to defence innovation and is a tremendous opportunity for defence innovation to have real, lasting impact on the future of defence. But realising this opportunity requires all of us to work together – government, industry, academia, entrepreneurs, and innovators of every kind. Now as part of UKDI, we remain focused on addressing fragmentation in the innovation system, supporting dual-use technologies, and ensuring business growth is factored into the development of new defence and security capabilities. The future of our national security depends on the UK’s ability to innovate faster, smarter, and more collaboratively than ever before and we look forward to continuing on our mission to achieve this. Anita Friend Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator, part of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI-DASA) Share on social media LinkedIn Email WhatsApp Read more Janus welcomes NATO DIANA 2026 Programme innovators Anita Friend: Bolstering innovation into defence The Strategic Edge Summit
The Strategic Edge Summit
Janus Strategic Edge Summit Expediting innovation and readiness into defence 21 July 2025 Welcoming a new era for dual-use technology The Janus summit brought together visionary leaders, pioneering startups and strategic investors to explore how emerging technologies are transforming security, resilience and global collaboration. The day was divided into two powerful sessions, each spotlighting innovation at the heart of defence and dual-use technology. Unlocking European dual-use markets 95% of Defence, Security & Resilience (DSR) investment goes to deep tech, and one-third of global deep tech is defence-related. In the morning, speakers including Yoram Wijngaarde (Dealroom.co) and Tom Dallas McSorley (NATO DIANA) unpacked Europe’s role in dual-use innovation. Yoram highlighted that DSR investment now makes up 6% of total European venture capital activity, having tripled over the past decade. While Series B and C rounds dominate, the pre-seed stage remains underfunded reflecting a broader trend across deep tech. Notably, one in five deep tech investments now targets DSR innovation, as more VCs launch dedicated defence funds and the number of exits begins to rise. Although still a young ecosystem, defence is now among the fastest growing VC sectors, with the UK leading since 2019, particularly through hubs like Oxford and Cambridge. More recently, Munich has taken the lead globally. Europe already excels in areas such as quantum computing and quantum cryptography but remains reliant on foreign suppliers for key defence technologies. As emphasised in the discussion, there’s an urgent need for Europe to strengthen its bargaining power in the global tech ecosystem. How can we unlock the potential of dual-use markets in Europe? Tanya Suarez Ph.D. (IoT Tribe) called for cross-sector collaboration and hosted a panel with Kelly Chen (NATO Innovation Fund), Rob Desborough (Seraphim Space), and Andrei Dragomir (Aquark Technologies). The panel explored the evolving perception of Defence Tech. As one speaker noted, “defence used to be a dirty word, but now it depends on how one defines defence” with many recognising national securities, not just battlefield systems, as the core mission. In that sense, defence now overlaps with ESG, where the “S” increasingly stands for security. “Does it matter where the money comes from?” The consensus was clear, funding must come from trusted sources, but beyond that, the focus should be on shared strategic goals. However, challenges remain: many VCs still cannot back weaponry due to LP constraints, highlighting the need to bring clarity to this grey zone. The discussion closed with a powerful reminder: much of the innovation underpinning modern society was forged in war zones. Defence Tech has always been born of necessity and it continues to shape the technologies we rely on every day. The NATO DIANA innovators showcase featured five standout startups with solutions in sensing and surveillance: AI Verse – scalable procedural AI model training. They have delivered a major advancement integrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This new feature enables their procedural engine to extract all relevant environmental data based on a specified GPS coordinate and reconstruct it on a 3D scene. ElFys – next-gen silicon-sensitive sensors. They developed a new product during the course of the accelerator program and is testing its technology with NATO DIANA. RVmagnetics – is setting a new industrial standard by creating the world’s smallest passive sensor. They are in discussions with multiple Fortune 500 companies, including a $10 billion automotive client. Winse Power Ltd. – optical data and power transmission. They are working with Saab and with UK and Nordic defence primes. Metahelios Ltd – novel imaging using Pixel Metasurface-integrated Technologies (PMiT). They out to replace archaic camera technology that is holding us back on the battlefield with a solution that is 40x smaller, 300x faster, 50x lighter and uses 60x less power Showcasing UK defence capabilities With the UK’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) freshly released, the afternoon shifted focus to national priorities and domestic capability building. The SDR outlines a major financial and strategic commitment 2.5% of GDP on defence by 2027, rising to no less than 3% by 2034 positioning defence as a cornerstone of industrial growth and national resilience. Anthony McGee (RAPSTONE) and Major General Mike Keating (NATO Allied Rapid Reaction Corps) set the tone with a call for technologies that are survivable, attractable, and consumable, engineered not just for innovation’s sake, but for deployment in contested, high-pressure environments. Task Force RAPSTONE is an innovation and experimentation unit, ensuring the British Army remains agile, tech-enabled and ready to respond to evolving threats with cutting-edge solutions. The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) is a high-readiness, multinational NATO force headquarters based in Gloucester, UK. It is designed to rapidly deploy and lead combined and joint operations across the full spectrum of military operations – ensuring NATO’s land forces are ready, interoperable and capable of swift response to global security challenges. In parallel, there’s a push for a national arsenal—not just stockpiles—and a growing role for disruptive technologies, talent development and military apprenticeships as part of a wider societal shift. The ARRC is not only a headquarters—it’s a live, evolving platform for NATO’s future warfare readiness, where innovation must translate into real world resilience. The UK dual-use innovators showcase featured five standout companies tackling critical challenges: Goldilock – dynamic, air-gapped cyber defence infrastructure SatVu – satellite-based thermal imagery for Earth observation Zelim – AI-powered maritime rescue and safety systems Phoenix Carbon – sustainable next-gen composite materials Aphelion Industries – protecting the orbital environment from debris and contamination What is needed to accelerate startup access into the UK’s defence and procurement ecosystem? Sami Moughrabie (Atmos Ventures) spoke with Ben Naylor (Commercial X) and Aimie Stone (ADS Group Ltd) on procurement reform. While progress is being made by embedding innovation earlier in the ideation process, barriers remain, particularly in how innovators connect with the wider industry. The panel stressed the importance of new approaches to assessing risk, and a mindset shift: early-stage failure must be seen as part of the process, not a reason to reject change. The role of large primes was also discussed while they