Texas Venture Partners launches DoD Readiness Program helping Israeli defense startups penetrate US market
Across its 12-week duration, 10 companies will work with ex-DoD leaders and industry experts to offer regulatory and corporate readiness, expansion strategies, private sessions with industry experts, and storytelling and marketing insights.
The DoD Readiness Program, a high-intensity 12-week accelerator program, has been launched by Texas-based venture fund Texas Venture Partners (TVP) in collaboration with Capital Factory and Q-Branch. As the world enters a new AI, drone, and cyber era of conflict, Israel’s experience as a defensetech powerhouse continues to grow - and the program is designed to help Israeli startups with the strategy, compliance, and connections to break into the American market.
Texas is fast becoming the nation’s top hub for defense innovation. Home to Army Futures Command, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Cavazos, and a strong dual-use tech sector, the state offers the infrastructure, investment, and talent Israeli founders need to scale in the U.S. market. Across its 12-week duration, the 10 accepted companies will work directly with ex-DoD leaders and industry experts to offer regulatory and corporate readiness, expansion strategies relating to tax structuring and corporate governance, private sessions with industry experts, and storytelling and marketing insights.
It culminates in a high-profile Demo Day, where participating startups will pitch to an elite audience of U.S. defense investors, military stakeholders, and industry leaders.
“This program is about access,” said Lorne Abony, General Partner of TVP. “Israeli founders know how to build groundbreaking defense tech. We help them clear every obstacle standing between them and securing U.S. government contracts.” Tal Shmueli, Partner at TVP who designed the program after seeing almost 300 pitches, added: “Breaking into the U.S. defense market is tough for Israeli startups. Many waste time, burn resources, and miss funding opportunities - struggling with strategy, product fit, and the DoD’s complex system. This program gives them a playbook for success.”
Applications for its first cohort are now open and expected to launch in March 2025. Partners include Q-Branch, an Austin-based firm specializing in dual-use strategy development and market access solutions for defense tech startups, and Capital Factory, the most active early-stage investor in Texas since 2010, according to Pitchbook, and a centerpoint for entrepreneurs in Texas.
“Israel is the Startup Nation, while Texas is the Scale Up State, and together this partnership is another step towards making Texas the Dual-Use Capital of the World. I want to invest in Israeli entrepreneurs and the world-changing technology that they develop,” added Joshua Baer, Founder and CEO of Capital Factory.
