[c_o_n_v_e_x]

Not a founder but I'm an early stage employee at a company that manufactures dual use rugged hardware. We know that products like ours get used in defense, but we focus on industrial only. There are some companies out there with nearly identical products that sell exclusively to defense, however unlike us, all of the senior leadership are veterans/former officers and or former employees of 3 letter agencies.

Even if you have a great product, you need people familiar with the culture, the language, the systems, etc.

I recently met with a group of consultants who specialize in helping companies enter defense markets. Theyre selling point was that their customers (companies trying to get into defense) typically get a PO within 12 months of engaging their services.