DIB Innovators

RADICL

The DIB Innovators podcast celebrates the brilliant minds behind innovation within the Defense Industrial Base. In each episode, host and co-founder of RADICL, David Graff will speak with DIB leaders who are driving technological advancements, championing our nation’s security, and shaping the future of defense technology. Brought to you by RADICL — Cybersecurity-as-a-Service purpose-built for small and mid-sized businesses in the Defense Industrial Base. Starting your CMMC journey? RADICL guides and accelerates your compliance—while reducing ransomware and other cyber risks—with a transparent, turn-key solution. www.radicl.com/cmmc_solved

  1. 4d ago

    EP 112 — Persistent Systems' Jon Patrick On Winning $120M in Tactical Networking Without A Program Of Record

    Persistent Systems won a $120 million tactical networking award without a program of record. Their Wave Relay MANET served as the network backbone during Project Convergence Capstone 5, a combined arms breach exercise that became the precursor to the Army's Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) architecture. Jon Patrick, VP of Business Development for Army and SOCOM at Persistent Systems, spent 26 years in DoD acquisition before crossing to industry. He tells Dave how two-year tranche buys reshape risk for bootstrapped companies, what it takes to scale from 150 to 750 network nodes, and where AI fits at the tactical edge. Topics discussed: How government language shifts reshape small business IR&D decisions Two-year tranche buys replacing base-plus-four contract structures MANET versus mesh networking at the tactical edge Scaling NGC2 from 150 nodes to 750 at brigade level Building a defense networking company for 18 years without VC AI addressing terminal data fatigue on tactical networks Going directly to SOCOM operators to find real requirements Financial-industry security as an alternative to Type 1 encryption Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 112 — Persistent Systems' Jon Patrick On Winning $120M in Tactical Networking Without A Program Of Record

  2. Jul 17

    EP 111 — Vision Miner's Rob Lent On 9 Years Of Bootstrapping Accessible High-Temp 3D Printing

    Rob Lent, Co-Founder and COO of Vision Miner, has spent nine years making high-performance polymer 3D printing accessible to companies that used to need quarter-million-dollar machines. Materials like PEEK and ULTEM have been used in industry for over 40 years, but printing them in-house was out of reach for most. Rob walks Dave through bootstrapping from a bedroom printer to manufacturing their own IDEX machine in Ukraine, surviving eight months of wartime shipping shutdowns, and designing hardware around ITAR requirements based on nine years of customer needs. Topics discussed: Making PEEK and ULTEM 3D printing accessible to smaller companies Bootstrapping a hardware company with zero outside funding Manufacturing machines in Ukraine through wartime disruption Designing ITAR-conscious hardware with removable WiFi modules Why 3D printing ROI lives in the manufacturing process Nanopolymer adhesive built for PEEK that works on all plastics Emotional control as a founder's most critical leadership skill Comparing 3D printing adoption to semiconductors in the 1970s Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 111 — Vision Miner's Rob Lent On 9 Years Of Bootstrapping Accessible High-Temp 3D Printing

  3. Jul 14

    EP 110 — AdlerAerospace’s Wilhelm Meya On The Broken Math Of Drone Defense

    Wilhelm Meya spent his first career building linguistic technology. Then he pivoted into aerospace, founded AdlerAerospace, and started integrating battle-tested Ukrainian and European drone technologies for U.S. and allied defense customers. Two and a half years in, the company builds heavy-lift UAVs, autonomous interceptors, and counter-UAS systems, and was selected for the Pentagon's Drone Dominance program and the DARPA Heavy Lift Challenge. Wilhelm tells Dave Graff why the only real answer to cheap long-distance strike drones is a cost-matched kinetic interceptor, how his team partners with automotive manufacturers to hit World War II-level production scale, and why the companies closest to the battlefield are outpacing Silicon Valley on solutions that actually work. Topics discussed: Integrating Ukrainian and European drone tech for NATO-standard defense systems Building the TALOS-J autonomous jet interceptor for sub-$100K engagements Partnering with automotive manufacturers to scale drone production Why magazine depth drives the need for cost-matched interceptors Layered air defense architecture combining jet and electric interceptors Mounting a micro gun on a heavy-lift UAV for kinetic counter-UAS Why electronic warfare and RF jamming are already obsolete against autonomous drones Lessons from Ukraine's weekly hardware iteration cycle vs. U.S. multi-year development Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 110 — AdlerAerospace’s Wilhelm Meya On The Broken Math Of Drone Defense

  4. Jul 9

    EP 109— Skyways' Isaac Roberts On Mass-Producing Autonomous Cargo Drones For Contested Logistics

    Isaac Roberts spent four years in the Navy, built and sold a computer vision company, co-founded a robotics startup, and then joined Skyways to tackle the missing middle in autonomous aviation: long-range cargo drones big enough to matter but small enough to mass-produce. With a $37 million Air Force contract to reach full rate production, Skyways is building hybrid electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) with 1,200 nautical mile range and modular payloads for contested logistics. Isaac tells Dave Graff why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is where commercial drone innovators go to die, why selling to Special Operations Forces means hardening your product faster than any other tech sector demands, and why getting a Program of Record in defense feels like running for office. He also breaks down the dual-track production model targeting thousands of airframes per year across defense and commercial. Topics discussed: Why hybrid heavy fuel beats battery-only for military cargo drones Building five value buckets to deliver full customer outcomes Standing up regional hubs for airborne infrastructure as a service Targeting the missing middle between DJI scale and 737 production Why SOF adoption forces higher technology readiness level faster than any other customer Lobbying early and hiring a retired senior officer for defense business development  Balancing government contract reliance with Series B fundraising Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 109— Skyways' Isaac Roberts On Mass-Producing Autonomous Cargo Drones For Contested Logistics

  5. Jul 7

    EP 108 — Clear-Com's Jonathan Sorensen On Building Comms That Run On 5G Infrastructure The DoD Is Already Deploying

    Jonathan Sorensen went from working live events at Red Rocks and broadcast engineering for the Colorado Avalanche to solving military communication challenges at Clear-Com. As a Solutions Engineer for Military, Aerospace and Government, he brings a signal flow mindset to full duplex, real time comms built for high-stakes operations. Clear-Com's commercial business drives product development that feeds directly into defense. Their newest FreeSpeak Cell beltpack runs on 5G LTE and private CBRS infrastructure the DoD is already deploying, letting operators connect without standing up a dedicated comm system. Jonathan explains why security across dispersed locations is the next major challenge in military comms. Topics discussed: Full duplex, non-blocking comms versus traditional radio limitations Letting commercial product innovation drive military capability Designing the FreeSpeak Cell beltpack for 5G LTE and private CBRS Progressing from test and evaluation into full military adoption Solving corner cases in hazardous operations communication design Expanding wireless coverage across flight lines and dispersed locations Keeping military product life cycles viable through commercial demand Security as the next frontier for geographically dispersed comms Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 108 — Clear-Com's Jonathan Sorensen On Building Comms That Run On 5G Infrastructure The DoD Is Already Deploying

  6. Jul 2

    EP 107 — Hidden Level's Antoinett Dufort On The Scaling Problem Most DIB Companies Ignore

    The defense industrial base has no shortage of innovation. It has a scaling problem. At Hidden Level , the team went from building prototype passive RF sensors to producing operational systems at scale. The operational playbook behind that leap started when Antoinett Dufort joined as employee number 20. Now VP of Operations, Antoinett shares how she built manufacturing, supply chain, and quality systems with future scale in mind from day one, and the decisions that positioned Hidden Level to meet surging demand without scrambling to catch up. Topics discussed: Why the DIB has a scaling problem, not an innovation problem Building manufacturing processes with future scale designed in from day one Investing in supply chain relationships and inventory ahead of confirmed demand Using "what would have to be true" as a planning framework for production scale Applying healthcare's patient-centered mindset to defense manufacturing quality Workforce development through university and community college partnerships The make vs. buy decision for sensor assembly and calibration Navigating demand uncertainty when forecasts are replaced by insights Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 107 — Hidden Level's Antoinett Dufort On The Scaling Problem Most DIB Companies Ignore

  7. Jun 30

    EP 106 — Space Copy's Madison Feehan On Building Infrastructure With Local Materials In Earth's And Space's Most Extreme Environments

    Space Copy builds ruggedized 3D printers that take in raw local materials, soil, sand, scrap metal, ceramics, even simulated moon dust, and print infrastructure on-site in the most extreme environments on Earth and in space. With 300 pre-orders, a NASA contract, and a planned lunar deployment by 2031, they are eliminating the need for external supply chains entirely. Madison Feehan, Founder and CEO of Space Copy, tells Dave how she went from a part-time role at NASA at 16 to founding a company whose printers can operate from the Arctic Circle to the lunar surface. Their second-gen technology is being built this summer, with a live demo at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center planned for the end of this year and mass deployment targeted for 2027 and 2028. Topics discussed: Building 3D printers hardened for any material class, polymers, ceramics, metals, and regolith Pre-selling 300 units before mass production begins Printing infrastructure from interlocking bricks to precision tools with no supply chain Navigating the material science challenge of multi-material 3D printing in one mechanism Planning a 2031 lunar surface deployment through a NASA Space Act Agreement Arctic analog astronaut testing combined with humanitarian infrastructure building Raising a $5 million seed round after years of grants and contracts Turning space debris into feedstock for 3D printing antennas Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 106 — Space Copy's Madison Feehan On Building Infrastructure With Local Materials In Earth's And Space's Most Extreme Environments

  8. Jun 25

    EP 105 — Delta.g's Tony Lowe on Taking Quantum Gravity Sensing From Lab to Field

    Delta.g built a quantum gravity gradiometer that detects underground voids, tunnels, and buried targets in 200 milliseconds per reading, a capability conventional gravity sensors cannot match. Legacy tools are so sensitive to environmental noise that they require extended settling time to separate signal from background, and even then the gravitational reading can be indistinguishable from interference. Delta.g's solution is gradiometry: two stacked identical quantum gravimeters, both built on rubidium atoms cooled to as cold as space, registering the same environmental noise simultaneously.  Bring the readings together, cancel the shared noise, and what remains is the gravity signal. CEO Tony Lowe explains why the same sensor that maps what's underground can navigate without GPS, and walks through the operational architecture behind commercializing a 10-year, £20 million University of Birmingham research program: how to move from a three-person academic founding team to a 15-person cross-functional company, and how the "Mechanical Turk" deployment model lets an early-stage deep tech company put real data in front of paying customers before full automation is ready.  Topics discussed: How quantum gravity gradiometry cancels environmental noise to detect underground voids and tunnels in real time Why conventional gravity sensors fail in operational environments and how Delta.g's dual-sensor design eliminates the signal-to-noise  The dual-use case for quantum sensing: underground void detection for defense and civil engineering plus GPS-independent navigation for subsurface platforms How Delta.g structured a £4.6 million (~$6.5M) seed round with UK National Security Strategic Investment Fund participation while still at TRL 6 The "Mechanical Turk" deployment model for early-stage deep tech: manually operating the system on customer sites to prove value before building full operational scale Why technology is not the product, and how Delta.g's first key hire is bridging the gap from prototype to deployable system Building sovereign and secure supply chains at fewer than 10 employees using an Arena PLM system   Scaling team and process discipline in deep tech startups: when to hire versus when to fix the process How to use the "I intend to" leadership model to push decisions to the right level Listen to more episodes:  Apple  Spotify  YouTube Website

    EP 105 — Delta.g's Tony Lowe on Taking Quantum Gravity Sensing From Lab to Field
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About

The DIB Innovators podcast celebrates the brilliant minds behind innovation within the Defense Industrial Base. In each episode, host and co-founder of RADICL, David Graff will speak with DIB leaders who are driving technological advancements, championing our nation’s security, and shaping the future of defense technology. Brought to you by RADICL — Cybersecurity-as-a-Service purpose-built for small and mid-sized businesses in the Defense Industrial Base. Starting your CMMC journey? RADICL guides and accelerates your compliance—while reducing ransomware and other cyber risks—with a transparent, turn-key solution. www.radicl.com/cmmc_solved

Information

  • Creator
    RADICL
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    113
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © RADICL
  • Show Website
    DIB Innovators

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