Stress Tested: Defense Tech Meeting Reality - #LATechWeek
Hosted by Starburst
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:DStress Tested: Defense Tech Meeting Reality
Presented by Starburst and Picogrid, with support from Griffiss Institute, B3K Prosperity, IAI, Collinear, and Weaver, this LA Tech Week event at Picogrid HQ in El Segundo will explore what it really takes to turn defense-tech innovation into operational capability.
We’ll spotlight the unique role of Southern California’s Space & Defense-Tech Triangle — from El Segundo to Kern County and Vandenberg — in connecting LA’s deep engineering and venture talent with the real-world needs of defense users.
🎙️ Panel Discussion
Hear from leading voices in defense innovation:
Zane Mountcastle, Co-Founder & CEO, Picogrid (picogrid.com)
Karthik Gollapudi, Co-Founder & CEO, Sift (siftstack.com)
Winnie Lai, Co-Founder & CEO, Auriga Space (aurigaspace.com)
Heather M. Hage, President & CEO, Griffiss Institute (griffissinstitute.org)
Joshua Boswell, VP Policy & Economic Development, REACH (reachcentralcoast.org)
Moderator: Benjamin Zeitoun, Starburst Ventures (starburst.aero)
🚀 Startup Innovation Showcase
Selected startups will showcase cutting-edge solutions in defense-tech and dual-use innovation, including:
BQP: simulation software using quantum algorithms on classical hardware (bqpsim.com)
Aerhart: UAVs for efficient drone delivery and inspection applications (aerhart.com)
VTOLogic: Hybrid-electric UAS with thrust vectoring for VTOL, STOL and conventional take-off and landing (vtologic-aero.com)
AugSense: AI-driven sensor fusion for operator health monitoring (augsensetech.com)
Dalion: Silent, zero-emission electro-aerodynamic propulsion systems (dalionaviation.com)
Rhea Space Activity: Reliable navigation and star tracker platforms (rheaspaceactivity.com)
If you’re building, funding, scaling, or enabling national security technology, don’t just watch the future happen — be in the room, make the connections, and help shape it with us.
For questions, reach out to: events@starburst.aero
This event is part of #LATechWeek — a week of events hosted by VCs and startups to bring together the tech ecosystem. Learn more at tech-week.com.
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