The Future is Now: Dual-Use Technologies are Center Stage
18 June 2025 - A Weekly Publication by New North Ventures
Building Community Around Dual-Use Innovation
The most meaningful tech breakthroughs happen when brilliant and curious minds convene to share ideas and push boundaries.
New North Ventures recently launched our inaugural Emerging Tech Showcase and the energy in the virtual room was electric. As a boutique dual-use fund, we created this platform to bring together founders, innovators, investors, and industry leaders who believe in the power of technologies that serve both commercial and government markets. We are grateful to HavocAI, Clara Copilot and CODE19 Racing for joining us on this journey by providing unique perspectives and insights on their technologies and how they fit into the broader ecosystem that served as a catalyst for probing questions and dynamic discussion.
Our showcase format enabled a focus on technology innovation and we were excited to see it proved powerful for fostering real connections and meaningful dialogue. We structured the event with focused presentations followed by interactive Q&A sessions, creating space for genuine thought leadership discussions. The virtual format also enabled us to bring together participants from across the country, breaking down traditional geographical barriers that often limit access to critical conversations and create geographic ‘bubbles’. What emerged was exactly what we hoped for—authentic exchanges about technical challenges, market opportunities, and the unique dynamics of building dual-use companies.
The event successfully demonstrated for us that there is high demand for - and high value in - creating new opportunities and platforms to share diverse perspectives on dual-use technologies. Both the company presentations and the ensuing discussions highlighted the unique opportunities and challenges that exist at the intersection of commercial innovation and national security applications.
We are excited to report that planning for our next Emerging Tech Showcase is already in motion. Scheduled for September, it will focus on cyber capabilities and provide a platform for new tech companies and thought-leaders in this space. The goal remains the same—creating a regular forum where the dual-use community can gather, learn from each other, and accelerate the pace of innovation that benefits both commercial and national security interests.
New North Ventures is committed to continuing to strengthen our ecosystem by facilitating knowledge sharing, partnership opportunities, and the kind of cross-pollination that drives breakthrough thinking and technology breakthroughs.
The Navy's procurement overhaul under CTO Justin Fanelli signals a fundamental shift in government technology adoption that has material implications for dual-use investment strategies. The transformation from traditional RFP processes to a McKinsey-inspired horizon model represents more than operational efficiency—it's a strategic repositioning that could reshape defense technology markets.
The data points reveal accelerating adoption curves. Competition response rates jumping from expected single digits to nearly 100 participants, with 70-80% being DoD newcomers, suggests significant pent-up commercial supply meeting previously inaccessible government demand. The Via cybersecurity case study—RFP to deployment in under six months—demonstrates cycle time compression that approaches commercial SaaS adoption speeds.
More strategically, the Navy's problem-first methodology eliminates traditional specification lock-in that historically favored incumbent defense contractors. This creates addressable market expansion for commercial technologies, particularly in Fanelli's highlighted priority areas: advanced AI applications, alternative PNT systems, and legacy modernization. These align directly with secular technology trends already driving commercial venture returns.
The cultural shift in Silicon Valley's government engagement, evidenced by public statements from Meta leadership and increased defense tech funding, suggests supply-side constraints are loosening simultaneously with this demand-side evolution.
For dual-use investors, this convergence creates a potentially significant market timing opportunity where both government procurement modernization and private sector cultural acceptance are simultaneously accelerating, potentially expanding total addressable markets while compressing traditional sales cycles.
More links to explore:
The Paladin Global Institute's new AI Tech Stack report provides a comprehensive framework for understanding and securing AI systems across five interdependent layers: governance, application, infrastructure, model, and data. The report emphasizes that robust security integration is essential as AI becomes foundational to critical infrastructure and national security.
Reality Defender CEO Ben Colman contributed his expertise to this important work, which serves as a strategic primer for policymakers and cybersecurity practitioners navigating the complex AI landscape. The report highlights unique AI-specific vulnerabilities like adversarial attacks, model poisoning, and prompt injection that extend beyond traditional cybersecurity approaches.
Particularly relevant for dual-use investors, the framework demonstrates how security considerations must span commercial and government applications. The report's emphasis on embedding security measures early in development aligns perfectly with the dual-use advantage of building technologies that meet both market demands simultaneously.
Congratulations to Ben and the entire Reality Defender team for contributing to this foundational work that will help shape responsible AI development and deployment across sectors.
Founded: 2022
Key People: CEO John Slump
Elevator Pitch: Developer of the HOTWIRE™ radiofrequency (RF) guidewire system—a single-device, zero-exchange solution enabling safer and more efficient transseptal (left-heart) access during catheter-based cardiac procedures. The product is universally compatible with existing introducer sheaths and is designed to reduce procedural risk, improve workflow, and enhance physician control.
Funding: Raised a $29.4 M seed-extension on 10 June 10 2025—bringing their total funding to over $40 M, supported by angel investors, family offices, and medtech entrepreneurs.
In this episode of the 'Securing Our Future' podcast, hosted by New North Ventures, Jeremy interviews Veronica Daigle about her journey from Wall Street to the federal government, including her roles at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Pentagon. Veronica now leads the Defense Ventures group at Red Cell Partners, a venture firm focused on building and incubating companies with dual-use applications.
