In this episode of DefTechPod, we speak with Marcus Roberts - former British Army officer and now a key figure within Janus Allies and IoT Tribe - about what it really takes for dual-use technology to enter defence markets.

Marcus shares how his operational experience in Afghanistan shaped the way he judges new technology, why innovation cycles are accelerating dramatically, and what founders often misunderstand about defence timing and realism.

We explore:

How NATO DIANA and UKDI accelerators actually work in practice
What Janus Allies delivers on behalf of the UK MoD
How IoT Tribe evolved from deep-tech accelerator to ecosystem builder
Why going through an accelerator is not the same as getting a “seat at the table”
What an ecosystem activation agreement is and why it matters
The role of primes in shaping real routes to market
Why patience and timing are critical for dual-use founders
How veterans act as “critical friends” to pressure-test innovation
Why failure in defence innovation is normal and necessary

Marcus also discusses the difference between exciting technology and operationally safe technology, and why lived military experience changes how risk is interpreted.

This conversation is essential listening for dual-use founders considering defence, innovators looking at NATO DIANA, and anyone trying to understand how ecosystems, primes, and accelerators actually fit together.

Defence innovation is not just about great technology. It is about timing, sponsorship, realism, and building the right relationships around your capability.

New episodes drop every Thursday.

In this episode of the DefTechLink podcast, Tasha Josefsson is joined by David Rolen for a grounded discussion on how defence procurement actually works in practice.

They unpack the role of Program Executive Offices (PEOs), how requirements move from interest to structure, and why procurement timelines, incentives, and decision authority are so often misunderstood by SMEs and non-traditional suppliers. The conversation covers where engagement helps, where it quietly stalls, and how companies misread signals from programmes and buyers.

This episode is for anyone trying to make sense of defence acquisition beyond slide decks and acronyms.

In this episode, Tasha Josefsson speaks with Thomas Nygaard about the story behind Eelume, Norway’s approach to dual-use technology, and what meaningful collaboration actually looks like in practice.

The conversation explores how Eelume bridges commercial and defence requirements, why subsea and maritime autonomy demand long-term trust rather than quick wins, and how Norwegian industry, academia, and government interact differently from larger defence markets. Thomas also reflects on partnerships, working across borders, and the realities of scaling advanced robotics into sensitive operational environments.

Rather than focusing on hype or market optimism, this episode looks at the structural conditions that make dual-use technology succeed or stall, and what other SMEs can realistically learn from Norway’s ecosystem.

A thoughtful discussion for anyone working in maritime, autonomy, dual-use technology, or trying to understand how smaller defence nations build credible, exportable capability without losing control of their technology.

In this episode of the DefTechLink podcast, Tasha Josefsson sits down with Erica Dill‑Russell to talk through how DefTechLink came into being and, more importantly, why.

Erica shares the gap she kept seeing from both sides of the table. Capable companies with strong technology repeatedly misreading defence pathways, burning time and money, and mistaking interest for progress. Rather than building another listings platform, the conversation explores why DefTechLink was designed as a navigation layer. One focused on context, eligibility, sequencing, and helping organisations understand what defence signals actually mean.

This episode is a candid look at the thinking behind the platform, the frustrations that shaped it, and the principles it is built around. It is especially relevant for SMEs, founders, and operators trying to decide whether defence is a market they should enter, and what it realistically takes if they do.