SOF Week Part II: How Early Stage Companies’ Strategies Played Out

Last week, we connected with the founders of EdgeRunner AI, Aurum Systems, and Distributed Spectrum before they made their way to Tampa for SOF Week.

In this follow-up episode, we hear how they performed.

Edgerunner AI: From Education to Validation

Original Objective: Meet "shot callers" (decision-makers at multiple levels) and educate the market about edge AI capabilities that operate without internet connectivity.

Results Achieved:

* Secured high-level meetings with SOCOM J3

* Generated immediate follow-up meetings scheduled in Tampa

* Validated that operators were "blown away" by internet-free AI capabilities

* Announced Series A funding during the event

* Demonstrated product at both their own booth and through Second Front Systems partnership

Key Learning: "Try to line up as many meetings as you can. Let people know you're going to be there and ask them to set aside time." The educational component worked—operators immediately wanted the technology once they understood it was possible.

Evolution: The company is moving from "zero to one" in their market presence and aspires to use conference presence as a yard stick as they scale up (“we want to be on the big stage right next to Anduril.”)

Aurum Systems: Discovery Through Direct Engagement

Original Objective: Achieve a "public launch," validate technology with operators, and receive initial feedback from acquisition professionals.

Results Achieved:

* Received validation that they were "20 to 30% ahead of anything else we've seen" from acquisition professionals

* Discovered entirely new use cases for their 3D reconstruction technology through direct operator conversations

* Successfully demonstrated their Atlas platform for UAV autonomy

* Participated in pitch competitions and secured good booth traffic in Accelerator Alley

Key Learning: The value of unexpected discovery—Jason noted that "everyone sees [our products] in a different light" based on their specific problem sets. This led to previously unconsidered applications of their technology.

Resource Constraint: Myles identified a critical limitation: "We had us and one of our coworkers helping us. That was still not enough." They plan to bring more team members next year to maximize event value.

Distributed Spectrum: Operational Efficiency at Scale

Original Objective: Connect with three stakeholder groups—acquisition teams, operators, and potential partners—while maintaining operational flexibility.

Results Achieved:

* Conducted real-time product demonstrations that led to immediate UI improvements

* Received specific technical feedback that refined their user interface presentation

* Maintained strategic flexibility without booth commitments

* Successfully navigated the event solo due to last-minute team constraints

Key Learning: Alex Wulff's approach of finding "good places to sit down with people to actually have a real conversation" proved more effective than previous years' ad hoc lobby meetings.

Strategic Evolution: As a more mature company (third SOF Week attendance), they're considering booth space once they have "enough resources beyond just me and my co-founders."

For more on the companies:

* Aurum Systems: https://aurum.systems/

* Distributed Spectrum: https://www.distributedspectrum.com/

* EdgeRunner AI: https://www.edgerunnerai.com/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

SOF Week Pt. 1: A Tale of Three Defense Tech Startups

In this special edition of Crossing the Valley, we sit down with three promising defense technology companies ahead of their trip to SOF Week—one of the defense industry's premier events. Each company represents a different stage in the journey across the "valley of death" from concept to production, providing valuable insights for founders navigating the defense ecosystem.

About Edgerunner AI

Company Overview: Edgerunner AI is building domain-specific AI agents for warfighters that can operate without internet connectivity. Their technology enables military personnel to access ChatGPT-like capabilities that are tailored to their specific military occupational specialty (MOS), all while functioning in disconnected, degraded, intermittent, and limited bandwidth (DDIL) environments.

Founders:

* Tyler Saltsman: Former Army logistician who served in Operation Atlantic Resolve. Previously at AWS where he first encountered Stability AI, helping to build their infrastructure before eventually joining them.

* Colton Malkerson: Former Capitol Hill staffer for Speakers Boehner and Ryan, Stanford Business School graduate, and held positions at AWS and Stability AI.

Company Stage: Edgerunner AI has secured a CRADA (Cooperative Research and Development Agreement) with the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) to power NIPR GPT. They recently closed their Series A funding (announced during SOF Week) and partnered with Second Front Systems. The company is less than a year old.

About Aurum Systems

Company Overview: Aurum Systems is developing the Atlas platform, designed to transform existing UAVs into independent intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting assets. Their software works completely at the edge and in the field, enabling operators to complete missions autonomously with minimal input.

Founders:

* Jason Ashton: Founder and CEO with a background in robotics and self-driving technology.

* Myles Spencer: Founder and CTO with product development experience at Google (YouTube's data warehouse) and Wayfair.

Company Stage: Aurum is approximately one year old, having raised a small angel round in September 2023. They recently demonstrated their technology publicly for the first time at the Avon Park Air Force Range for US SOCOM. They currently operate as a two-person team.

About Distributed Spectrum

Company Overview: Distributed Spectrum focuses on helping warfighters understand what's happening across the radio spectrum. Their technology adds intelligent software to existing hardware systems, enabling both trained experts and frontline operators to identify adversary communications and detect jamming without requiring expensive equipment or specialized training.

Founders:

* Alex Wulff: Co-founder and CEO with a background in electrical engineering and a deep fascination with radio waves. Started the company with Ben Harpe (COO) and Isaac Struhl (CTO) while in college at Harvard.

Company Stage: Approximately 4.5 years since founding, with significant momentum since 2022 after graduation. They've raised a Series A round of $25 million, secured over $7 million in DoD contracts, and their RF sensing platform is already deployed in Ukraine and with U.S. special operators. The company currently has 16 employees.

About our Advisors

Dave Rolen is a combat developer for US Army Special Operations Command. He identifies, captures, and develops resourcing strategies for emerging requirements and Program Objective Memorandum (POM) products for key emerging capabilities.

Scott Moore is a recently retired Green Beret, most recently serving as the R&D NCOIC, and previously Director of Operations with the 3rd Special Forces Group. He’s now with SBIR Advisors and brings a wealth of recent insider knowledge after many years as the target customer and planning industry engagement events.

To hear how the show went, tune in next week for Part II of this special episode!

For more about the companies:

* Aurum Systems: https://aurum.systems/

* Distributed Spectrum: https://www.distributedspectrum.com/

* EdgeRunner AI: https://www.edgerunnerai.com/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

The Army's Multi-Domain Task Force: Soldier-Driven Innovation in Action

About our Guests

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Burns serves as the Deputy Commander of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF), headquartered in Germany in support of US Army Europe and Africa. With a background in traditional Army operations, Burns brings a task force-level perspective on how new capabilities need to integrate into joint warfighting concepts.

Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Ritzema commands the 2nd Multi-Domain Effects Battalion (MDEB), which serves as the primary sensing and non-kinetic effects arm of the task force. His battalion comprises specialized companies focused on space, cyber, electronic warfare, and unmanned systems. Ritzema's role involves organizing, training, and equipping soldiers across multiple technical specialties that historically have been siloed across different parts of the Army.

Together, these officers represent the operational leadership of one of the Army's most innovative organizational constructs - a unit specifically designed to counter anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities that potential adversaries have developed to keep U.S. forces at bay.

About the Multi-Domain Task Force

Established through Army Chief of Staff General James McConville's 2021 vision paper "Army Multi-Domain Transformation," the MDTF concept represents the Army's primary organizational innovation for multi-domain operations. The Army is currently building five such task forces, with three currently established - two focused on the Indo-Pacific and the 2nd MDTF focused on Europe.

The 2nd MDTF, activated in late 2021, consists of a headquarters element, an intelligence/cyberspace/electronic warfare/space detachment, and a brigade support company. At its core is the Multi-Domain Effects Battalion, which is organized into specialized companies:

* A signal company providing mission command networks

* A military intelligence company for target analysis

* An extended range sensing and effects company with unmanned aerial systems, electronic warfare, and high-altitude balloon platoons

* A space company with modular and fixed space control capabilities

* An information defense company with defensive cyber and electromagnetic attack platoons

What makes the MDTF concept unique is that it brings capabilities previously reserved for joint or national-level commands down to the tactical level, enabling field commanders to integrate and synchronize effects across domains. As LTC Ritzema explains, the task force's mission is fundamentally about finding adversaries faster than they can find you, then delivering effects - whether kinetic or non-kinetic - to enable broader joint operations.

For more on Arcane Thunder 25: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/496977/exercise-arcane-thunder-25-press-release

For more Crossing the Valley: www.valleycrossers.com

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Is the Department of the Navy Taking the Lead in Defense Acquisition?

About Justin and Artem

Justin Fanelli serves as the Navy Chief Technology Officer and has earned a reputation for dismantling bureaucratic barriers that traditionally slow defense innovation. Coming from a technical background, Fanelli has developed new mental models for technology adoption within the Department of the Navy, including a structured approach to piloting, evaluation, and scaling of emerging technologies. His work focuses on creating transparent, outcomes-driven processes that empower change agents across the department.

Artem Sherbinin serves as the CTO for the Naval Surface Force, implementing modernization strategies on the front lines. His operational background as a navigator and operations officer on a Navy cruiser gives him a warfighter's perspective on technology risk. This experience has shaped his approach to innovation, with an emphasis on addressing real operational needs rather than satisfying bureaucratic requirements. Sherbinin works three echelons below Fanelli in the Navy's organizational structure, yet their collaborative approach demonstrates the cross-functional alignment driving today's modernization efforts.

For more Crossing the Valley:

* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@crossingthevalley

* Substack: ValleyCrossers.com

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About Grant

Grant DeMaree founded Onebrief after serving on joint task forces in Liberia during the Ebola crisis and later in Iraq. As a second lieutenant in Liberia, Grant witnessed how the military's decision-making processes were lagging three months behind the movement of the Ebola virus, resulting in treatment units being built in locations where they were no longer needed. This experience led him to sketch his first solution concept on a napkin, driven by the realization that "these are human lives being lost because of decision speed."

Grant took the unconventional path of founding a company immediately after leaving the service, despite receiving advice to pursue graduate school or gain experience at an established company first. His conviction came from deeply understanding the problem: military staffs are the decision engines of the Department of Defense, but they're slow, inefficient, and larger than they need to be.

About Onebrief

Founded approximately six years ago, Onebrief has created a collaborative software platform designed to transform how military staffs plan operations and make decisions. The company's product enables faster decision cycles, improved decision quality, and greater staff efficiency across echelons and commands.

It took a few years of iteration for Onebrief to achieve product-market fit, but today their solution is deployed on multiple networks including NIPR, SIPR, JWICS, and CENTRIX. They've experienced explosive growth, with operational usage increasing at a 5,700% annualized rate in the most recent quarter. According to one study the company conducted, staffs using Onebrief operate approximately twice as fast and twice as efficiently as those using traditional tools.

For more on Grant: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkdemaree/

For more on Onebrief: https://www.onebrief.com/

For more Crossing the Valley: valleycrossers.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

About Jason Brown

After serving 26 years in the Air Force, where he commanded the 480th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing, Jason became deeply involved in defense innovation initiatives. He founded the Air Force AI Accelerator at MIT and helped stand up the Joint AI Center before transitioning to the private sector.

Prior to joining Applied Intuition as General Manager of their defense business, Jason led Google's professional services business for defense—a notable position given Google's complicated history with defense technology following the Project Maven controversy. Throughout his career, Jason has consistently focused on bringing software and data capabilities to the warfighter, driven by early experiences watching his airmen create innovative Python scripts to solve intelligence challenges.

About Applied Intuition

Founded in 2017, Applied Intuition has become a market leader in autonomy software. While initially focused on the commercial automotive sector, providing software tools to major OEMs developing autonomous vehicles, the company has expanded into defense applications across multiple domains.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

Today, we announce Blue Water Autonomy is coming out of stealth, on Crossing the Valley Presents: Launch Day!

About Blue Water Autonomy

Founded in spring 2024 and based in Boston, Blue Water Autonomy is designing and building autonomous ships with a "defense first, dual-use" approach. Their first customer is the U.S. Navy.

What distinguishes BWA from other players in the space is their focus on developing autonomous vessels that can operate without chase boats or constant human maintenance—something the founders identify as a critical gap in current capabilities. Rather than building small $100,000 unmanned surface vessels, they're targeting multi-million dollar platforms that can truly complement the Navy's manned fleet.

The company has already put a test vessel in the water outside Boston where they're testing hardware and software integration. They aim to have their first prototype vessel in the water sometime in 2025, with the ultimate goal of building autonomous ships at scale.

Their vision is to help the Navy implement "distributed maritime operations" through a disaggregated architecture—similar to how the satellite industry evolved from a few hundred expensive satellites to thousands of smaller, distributed ones.

As our first Launch Day feature, they'll be back on the show to keep us appraised of their progress.

To learn more:

Website: https://blw.ai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blue-water-autonomy/

Twitter: @BlueWaterShips

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

About Merlin Labs

Founded to develop autonomous flight technology for existing aircraft, Merlin Labs is taking a fundamentally different approach to the challenge than many competitors. While most autonomous systems try to augment human pilots, creating a potentially dangerous shared control situation, Merlin's system operates as the primary pilot with human supervision. The "Merlin Pilot" is responsible for flying the aircraft, communicating with air traffic control, and making operational decisions, with a human supervisor available to take control if necessary..

Merlin's strategy involves dual certification paths, working with both military and civilian regulators to certify their core autonomous pilot system. Once certified, this core capability can be adapted to specific aircraft with only incremental certification work required. This approach has recently yielded a significant milestone: the first approved airworthiness plan for integrating autonomy onto a mainline Air Force aircraft.

Check out the show notes at ValleyCrossers.Com

For more on Merlin: https://merlinlabs.com/

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com

About Jesse

Jesse Kallman is the founder and CEO of Danti, bringing deep industry experience from his extensive career in the defense and space sectors. With a strong background in unmanned systems and Earth observation, Jesse has worked at major defense primes including Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, and Airbus, giving him a comprehensive understanding of both the technical and operational aspects of intelligence analysis

About Danti

Founded just over two years ago, Danti is building a "search engine for Earth observation data." The company's core technology is an AI-powered knowledge engine that helps users discover, analyze, and utilize vast quantities of information captured from diverse sources including satellites, drones, social media, news, and analyst reports.

For more on Danti: https://danti.ai/

For more on Jesse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessekallman/

For more Crossing the Valley: YouTube | Substack | LinkedIn | X

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About Phillip

Phillip Buckendorf is the co-founder and CEO of Air Space Intelligence, bringing a unique perspective shaped by his education in political science and international relations in Germany. Frustrated by what he describes as Europe’s "degrowth mindset,” Phillip moved to the United States in his early 20s, seeking out the hotbed of innovation and technological progress.

About Air Space Intelligence

Founded after extensive research into air operations centers across commercial airlines, government agencies, and maritime organizations, ASI develops predictive software that transforms how logistics planning occurs in both commercial and defense contexts. The company's core innovation is shifting from static displays showing current conditions to dynamic simulations that predict how operational environments will change over time.

For more on Air Space Intelligence: https://www.airspace-intelligence.com/

For the Air Space Manifesto: https://www.airspace-intelligence.com/thesis

For more on Phillip: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phillipbuckendorf/

For more Crossing the Valley: LinkedIn | X

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.valleycrossers.com