LA Tech Week: Powering the Future of National Security Innovation in Southern California with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)

During LA Tech Week, organizations like Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)’s NSIN, NavalX, and SpaceWerx gathered to highlight and celebrate Southern California’s contributions to the defense sector.

Congressman Calvert, the Chair of the Subcommittee on Defense, delivered a keynote address emphasizing the importance of innovation in the national security space and Southern California's role in advancing defense technology. The Congressman emphasized evolving threats across domains and theaters, such as Europe and the South China Sea.

Tulsi Patel, Head of FedTech’s Los Angeles office, noted: "What an honor to bring together esteemed stakeholders and leaders across the innovation ecosystem! From elected representatives to industry veterans, capital allocators, and emerging startups - it was truly magical to bring together everyone in one room. It’s a testament to the critical role that the thriving SoCal defense ecosystem plays in safeguarding national security."

Thought leaders from DIU included: Emily Gold, the Venture Engagement Manage of the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (MAC); Travis DeMeester, Program Manager for Industry 4.0 and Digital Engineering; and Salvador Badillo Rios, Senior Associate for the National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) team. 

Collaboration emerged as a key trend to promote national security innovation, with cross-agency collaboration between NavalX and SpaceWerx highlighted. Public-private initiatives, such as NSIN Foundry in partnership with DIU, underscore the importance of collaboration in national security. 

As the Venture Engagement Manager for Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (MAC), panelist Emily emphasized: “I had many important conversations with founders, investors, DoD stakeholders, and other industry players, all of which reiterated just how much cross-pollination exists between LA and the Southwest region. It was inspiring to see firsthand the collaborative energy and dedication to true innovation in El Segundo, which seriously sparked my interest in exploring the city as a critical case study. The city's success offers valuable insights we can leverage in our strategy to build up the early-stage defense tech markets in Phoenix and Tucson."

The event also featured pitches from local SoCal startups innovating the National Security space and networking throughout the programming. Rising stars in the SoCal ecosystem include StarNav, which is developing a Position Navigation and Timing (PNT) technology to modernize our warfighter, and BladeX Technologies, a manufacturing start-up that has developed a new method of economically producing high-performance composite parts.

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