Stacy L ChinFounder, KeepYourEquity · I get the government to write you checks

Get Paid By Government For Your Tech Ideas!

7 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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1:07

In this concise advisory talk, Stacy Chin outlines a step‑by‑step strategy for startups and technologists to secure non‑dilutive government funding for defense and dual‑use projects. She first urges innovators to map their technology directly onto concrete defense pain points, emphasizing measurable benefits such as time savings, risk reduction, or new capabilities. She then recommends leveraging specific non‑dilutive programs—SBIR, DIU, and OTAs—to prototype without giving up equity, positioning each prototype as a proof point that can unlock further contracts and investor interest. Finally, Chin stresses the importance of early, continuous engagement with the defense ecosystem: attending pitch days, joining AFWERX challenges, and building relationships with program officers to learn emerging dual‑use problems before competitors and to tailor technology positioning accordingly.

Chapters

Let the government pay you. First, start mapping out your technology to these real defense pain points. Don't just say your AI or battery can be useful, but rather show how you can help defense agencies. Does it save time, reduce risk, or add capabilities that they don't have before? Next, figure out how to use non-diluted funding strategically to prototype technologies and improve if it works. For instance, use non-diluted programs like the SBIR, DIU, or OTAs to fund your initial R&D. Let the government pay you. In other words, let the government pay you to build your prototype while keeping your equity and ownership because every prototype is a proof point that can unlock new contracts, future investors, and even contacts with commercial partners. And finally, engage early and often with the defense ecosystem. Get plugged in early, and that could be the winning key to get non-dilutive funding in the defense sector. Go to pitch days, join AFWERX challenges, meet program officers across the agencies. And by doing these activities, you'll learn what the dual-use problems are before everyone else. And this will give you a leg up to know how to position technology to solve a real use case scenario in the military sector.