Investments

In addition to strategic convening and applied research to support the revival of America’s defense industrial base, the Midwest Defense Forum makes defense tech investments empowering companies to protect Western nations and enhance military capabilities. Our initial investments support the future of defense by utilizing AI to gain competitive advantage on the battlefield, rebuilding the US defense industrial base and helping the warfighter increase cognitive performance.

The MDF Marketplace is being established to feature investment opportunities and to incentivize defense tech companies to locate in the Lake Michigan region and scale its operations there.

Titletowntech startup draft

When Green Bay was chosen to host the 2025 NFL Draft, TitletownTech saw a chance to showcase a different kind of talent—visionary startups shaping the future. That inspired the TitletownTech Startup Draft, an investment event modeled after the NFL Draft, complete with a Startup Combine and live reveal.

In partnership with the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, TitletownTech invested $1 million each in two emerging tech startups—Indiana’s Ateios Systems and Wisconsin’s Ubicept—which are developing cutting-edge dual-use technologies to keep our nation safe and grow economies and innovations fromt the Heartland.

OTHER INVESTMENTS

NESTRE

More than 2 billion people worldwide face brain-based health and productivity challenges, and over 70% of people experience stress that impacts their mental or physical health. NESTRE™ Health & Performance is a mental and cognitive strength training and solutions company that leverages neuroscience and AI/Machine Learning technology to personalize how people unlock their full potential. Through a partnership with Rogue Industries, NESTRE is positioned as the Cognitive Performance Provider of Record on the first 70 of the Army H2F Facilities and a brand-new center for Air Force Special Operations Command. Additionally, NESTRE has signed a 2-year CRADA with the VA SIMLearn Team to explore solutions within patients of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, further demostrating their dedication to the cognitive health and performance of the brave individuals who protect our country.

Hailo

Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning represent groundbreaking technologies reshaping our interactions with machines, enabling real time perception and analysis of dynamic environments. However, historically confined to data centers due to cost, computing requirements, and power consumption, these technologies have faced limitations. Enter Hailo, on a mission to make high performance AI available at scale, outside the realm of data centers. With the belief that AI holds the key to a better, safer, and more productive world, Hailo has pioneered the development of cutting-edge AI processors. These processors are tailored for edge devices, spanning diverse applications and markets.

RAIC

The days of labeling data by hand over weeks, months, or even years are gone. RAIC is an end-to-end AI pipeline that automates the analysis of large, unstructured datasets, from security camera footage to geospatial imagery. This technology enables individuals to ingest, search, and categorize data - build and train models - run inference - and integrate or access RAIC through cloud-hosted APIs. RAIC’s significance in the defense space is highlighted by its role in the recent Chinese spy balloon incident. Days after the balloon was shot down by the military, RAIC Labs used Earth imaging data from satellites to backtrack the balloon’s trajectory across the continental United States. RAIC’s technology, with its ability to trace objects back to their origin, is incredibly useful for answering critical questions.

Acropolis

America’s small arms defense industry represents a $20 Billion dollar market, composed of over 600 companies that make up over 70% of that market. These small companies are prime candidates for consolidation due to their limited liquidity, restricted access to capital for expansion, and constrained market reach. Acropolis aims to address these limitations in strategic acquisitions that benefit both the target companies and investors. The goal is to resolve issues of market fragmentation, reduce foreign dependencies, and improve management practices, thereby ensuring the United States’ access to superior quality products and reliable supply chains in both peacetime and conflict.