Twenty-five years later, 9/11 is still present. For the families. For the first responders. For the service members who weren’t born that morning and now stand the watch.
Today and always – we honor those we lost, those who went in, and everyone still carrying it.
From the beginning, veterans have been builders. They didn’t just fight for this country – they built it. That work did not stop when the uniform came off. They found new missions. They applied the same judgment, discipline, and sense of purpose to companies, communities, and technologies that keep this nation strong.
Something quieter also came out of September 11, and it doesn’t get said often enough. A generation went into uniform because of it. Many of them are out now. Almost none of them stopped working on the problem.
They took the operational judgment they earned – the kind you only get when the cost of being wrong was absolute – and went to build. Not as a second career. As the same career, by other means.
That is who the NatSec Veteran Pitch Competition exists for. It is one more chapter in the same story we told last Veterans Day: Honoring the builders of our nation’s past and future.
November 4, 2026
Six veteran-led companies will pitch mission-ready, dual-use technologies to an esteemed panel of defense investors and acquisition experts – before a curated room of senior government, capital and industry leaders.
Four minutes to pitch. Five minutes of questions. A brief open Q&A while the jury deliberates. Virtual, 5:00-6:30 PM EST. No registration fee. Registrations are reviewed before approval so the room stays what it is – which matters when the technology on screen is sensitive.
Last cycle is the best answer to what this is.
On February 18, six veteran-led companies pitched.
TERN, founded by Brett Harrison, took first with satellite-free navigation resilience – positioning that holds when GPS does not. Glīd Technologies, led by Kevin A. Damoa, took second with autonomous road-to-rail logistics. SplashOne Robotics, led by Jeff Wright, took third with autonomous maritime systems. They were joined by Pellucid Network on procurement automation, WeCheck AI on identity authentication, and OpenInfer on edge AI inference.
Judging was led by Kelly Perdew of Moonshots Capital, Christian Ford of DLA Piper, Tip Myers of Marque Ventures, and Rusty Isaacs of Stony Lonesome Group.
Different domains. Same mission-first mindset.
This is not about a trophy.
It is about access, acceleration, and advancing the mission.
The top three receive Demo Day participation at PortMiami on March 2, 2027, Accelerator and Showcase fast-tracks, exhibition space in the NatSec Pavilion at eMerge Americas, and curated introductions to investors, government buyers, and strategic partners. Full detail is on the application page.
Who should apply
U.S.-based critical technnology startups founded within the last three years, with a working MVP, two or more full-time team members, and no more than $1M raised. A veteran, active or reserve service member must be a founder or C-level executive – and that person delivers the pitch. Technology must be presentable unclassified.
Key dates
- Applications close October 10, 2026
- Finalists announced October 16
- Competition November 4, 2026 (virtual)
Veteran founders: Apply Here
Observers: Request to Attend
Peace Through Strength. Strength Through Innovation.
Never Forget.
As eMerge Americas continues to evolve, we’re more committed than ever to fostering collaboration, sparking innovation, and highlighting the transformative power of Florida’s thriving tech ecosystem.
