Scaling innovators into operational assets with NATO DIANA

Scaling Innovators into Operational Assets with NATO DIANA Janus impact stories 7 September 2026 NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) was founded to connect and empower the Alliance’s top dual-use startups to scale innovative solutions that address NATO’s critical defence challenges. The Janus Allies network sits within this ecosystem as the UK-based accelerator, giving founders and innovators direct access to testing environments, mentors and clear procurement pathways across the British defence and security industry. While the initial 6-month programme is focused on forging vital first connections, 15 innovators that demonstrate outstanding defence interest and alignment with Allied operational needs are selected to advance onto Mission Track. Phase 2 of the programme is an advanced, adoption-focused 5- to 7-month programme designed to take innovators towards operational readiness and adoption at scale. We are incredibly proud to celebrate the selection of OledComm from our 2026 Janus Allies cohort to advance to Phase 2, Mission Track, of NATO DIANA’s accelerator programme. Spotlighting OledComm: Selected for Mission Track 2026 Mission Track is designed to bridge the gap between discovery and implementation for promising dual-use companies. The chosen startups can gain up to $300,000 in additional contractual funding, targeted market expansion opportunities across NATO member states, continuous testing and evaluation access and tailored mentorship via a dedicated DIANA advisor. OledComm is a pioneer in optical wireless communications (LiFi and laser optical connectivity), whose technology provides secure, high-speed wireless data transmission using light waves instead of traditional radio frequency, delivering jam-proof and intercept-resistant communications in radio-silent or contested operational environments. During their time in the cohort, OledComm demonstrated exceptional commercial and adoption readiness, with their optical communications solution addressing critical NATO capabilities. This earned them a place on Mission Track, where they will focus on field testing, scalability, deployment and integrating hardware directly into allies’ defence architectures. “Oledcomm’s optical communications technology addresses a real and pressing need for allied forces operating in contested environments. Mission Track gives them the space to take that further, and we’re looking forward to seeing how it develops.” Marcus Roberts, Director of Operations for Janus Allies   Spotlighting our Lasting Impact: RVmagnetics Our commitment to building credible, long-term defence relationships is proven by previous cohort success. We are also proud to highlight RVmagnetics, a standout startup from last year’s cohort that also secured its place on Mission Track. RVmagnetics is developing MicroWire technology – the smallest passive sensor worldwide. By embedding glass-coated metallic microwires, their system enables unpowered, contactless measurements of temperature, pressure, strain and magnetic fields in extreme environments where traditional electronics would fail. Since progressing to Phase 2, RVmagnetics has announced a partnership with Airbus to create a new sensing mat designed to modernise out-of-autoclave composite repairs, which enables real-time, multi-point temperature monitoring while reducing sensor installation time by up to 80%. Supporting Innovator Growth and Future Innovation “OledComm have had an excellent year and thoroughly deserve their place on Mission Track. They are a strong team with a highly relevant technology, and they have made the most of every opportunity through NATO DIANA. RVmagnetics’ progress with Airbus shows what that next phase can lead to. We wish both teams every success as they build on that momentum.” James Murray, Accelerator Manager for Janus Allies The NATO DIANA Mission Track programme demonstrates what happens when high-potential startups receive the operational access, advisory support and funding needed to navigate complex defence channels. We look forward to watching Oledcomm, RVmagnetics and our future cohorts continue to deliver strong capability wins across the alliance. Share on social media LinkedIn Email WhatsApp Read more Scaling innovators into operational assets with NATO DIANA What it takes to sell into defence: lessons from founders Celebrating Slipstream Design’s £1.5m commercial success

Celebrating Slipstream Design’s £1.5m commercial success

Celebrating Slipstream Design’s £1.5m commercial success from the Janus Allies accelerator programme Janus impact stories 17 August 2026 NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) was founded with one deliberate aim: To help connect and empower the Alliance’s top dual-use startups to scale innovative solutions that address NATO’s critical defence challenges. Slipstream Design is a standout example of that mission in action. Selected for the NATO DIANA 2026 cohort from over 3,200 applications – and one of just 28 UK startups across the NATO Alliance selected – Slipstream Design joined our London-based cohort earlier this year. In just six months, the company secured £1.5 million in defence contracts. Who is Slipstream Design? Founded in 2011, Slipstream Design specialises in digital and radio frequency technology. Building on more than a decade of experience across aerospace, security and communications, it delivers expertise in adaptable digital radio frequency design solutions. Slipstream’s core product is ASTRO – a wideband adaptive radio processor that accelerates digital beamforming. It provides faster, more adaptable, and more reliable communication performance. By processing signals directly at the edge, ASTRO provides dual-use capabilities across demanding multi-domain environments: Defence, Aerospace and Security: High-performance systems for land platforms, maritime radar, signals intelligence and electronic warfare. Space and Telecommunications: Resilient RF architectures powering satellite constellation networks, ground station beamforming and next-generation telecom networks. Quantum Computing: Solving complex RF, microwave and mmWave challenges for applications such as quantum computing. Supporting Slipstream’s growth As the chosen delivery partner for UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), Janus, the UK Accelerator for NATO DIANA, provided Slipstream with direct access to end users and real-world testing environments, allowing the team to receive operational feedback on ASTRO in the field. What would have otherwise taken years of feedback and validation was condensed into the programme’s six months, giving them accelerated improvements and growth far beyond the regular timeline of an SME. “For the last six months, we’ve gone at a pace that I didn’t think was physically or mentally possible,” added Sarah Gregory, Commercial Director. “There are so many exciting opportunities on the horizon for Slipstream.” “Through the accelerator programme, we’ve had the opportunity to talk to end users, while really honing in on our key capabilities and the things that provide the most value to the users,” explained Wei Sam, Senior Design Engineer in Electronic Engineering at Slipstream. Sarah said that the Janus Allies accelerator has “given us the contacts, and that means that we can still work with the primes, but we can work with them to bring in that extra dimension, that extra layer of feedback that will really make our products successful”. Through Janus, the Slipstream team were also able to access expert advice and mentoring networks, giving them a clearer understanding of possible defence procurement channels and how to navigate them effectively and efficiently. This proved important to Slipstream’s success, directly enabling them to translate end-user engagement into major commercial wins, landing them with two separate contracts totalling £1.5 million in high-value defence contracts during their time in the cohort. “It’s been an absolute privilege to have Slipstream on this journey with us,” says Marcus Roberts, Director of Operations at IoT Tribe and Janus Allies. “Getting to know Sarah and the wider team, along with the rest of the innovators, over the last six months has been a real pleasure. To watch Slipstream grow and land contracts of this scale in such a short space of time has been incredible to be part of and is exactly what Janus is here to do for the Allies.” Slipstream’s experience with the Janus accelerator through the NATO DIANA programme represents a powerful catalyst for growth, both in product development and building credible, meaningful defence industry relationships.    Share on social media LinkedIn Email WhatsApp Read more NATO DIANA UK Accelerator showcases emerging Defence technologies NATO DIANA alumni, RVmagnetics, develop new tech with Airbus NATO DIANA debuts second dual-use cohort to UK ecosystem at London launch event