Defense tech advisory for founders and investors.
We help early-stage defense companies navigate go-to-market, operations, and fundraising — and help investors diligence the ones worth backing.
Defense tech is a different game.
Selling to DoD isn’t like selling to enterprise. The cycles are long, the buyers are fragmented, and the rules are arcane. Most advice comes from people who’ve never built a company or haven’t touched a program office in a decade.
We’re different. Amherst Consulting Group was founded by operators currently building in defense tech — running programs, closing contracts, and raising capital. We know what works today because we’re doing it ourselves.
How we help
We work with defense tech founders from first contract to Series B and beyond — and with investors who need to separate signal from noise.
-
Go-to-Market & Business Development
Breaking into the defense market is hard. The customer landscape is fragmented, the sales cycles are long, and the wrong strategy can waste 18 months chasing programs that were never real.
We help founders map the customer landscape, identify the right entry points, and build the
BD infrastructure to actually win contracts.
What’s included:
Customer landscape mapping
Entry point and program identification
Capture strategy development
BD infrastructure setup (CRM, pipeline, processes)
Meeting prep and deal support
Engagement types:
GTM strategy · 3-4 week project
BD advisory · Monthly retainer
-
Market & Competitive Intelligence
Whether you’re a founder trying to understand your competitive position, a VC diligencing a deal, or a growth-stage company evaluating acquisition targets — you need to know what’s real and what’s noise.
We deliver clear-eyed analysis of markets, competitors, and emerging technologies. No fluff, no recycled research. Just the intelligence you need to make better decisions.
What’s included:
Competitive landscape analysis
Market sizing and segmentation
Tech scouting for M&A and partnerships
Sector deep-dives
Investor diligence support
Engagement types:
Landscape report · Fixed deliverable
Custom research · Scoped per project
Intelligence retainer · Ongoing support
-
Fundraising Support
Defense tech fundraising has its own language. Investors want to understand your path to revenue, your relationship with the customer, and whether you can actually execute against long procurement cycles.
We help founders build the narrative, materials, and investor strategy to raise from people who understand the space — and avoid the ones who don’t.
What’s included:
Narrative and positioning development
Deck building and refinement
Investor targeting and outreach strategy
Data room preparation
Mock pitches and Q&A prep
Engagement types:
Fundraising sprint · 4-6 week intensive
Advisory support · Monthly retainer during raise
-
Fractional Operator
Early-stage defense startups often need experienced operational leadership but aren’t ready for a full-time COO or Chief of Staff. The founder is juggling product, customers, investors, and hiring — and things start falling through the cracks.
We step in as a fractional operator: standing up internal systems, keeping programs on track, coordinating across functions, and serving as a second brain to the CEO.
What’s included:
Internal operations buildout (meeting rhythms, reporting, processes)
Program and contract management oversight
Cross-functional coordination
Investor reporting and board prep
Hiring support for ops and BD roles
Engagement types:
Fractional retainer · Ongoing, scoped weekly
Ops buildout project · 4-8 weeks to stand up infrastructure
Who We Work With
Built for defense tech.
We work with founders building companies at the intersection of commercial technology and national security — autonomous systems, sensors, space, cyber, logistics, and beyond.
-
Who need to find their first DoD customers, professionalize operations, or raise their next round.
-
Who need competitive intelligence, M&A target identification, or operational leadership as they scale.
-
Who need independent diligence on markets, competition, and team credibility before writing checks.
-
Who need to understand emerging technology landscapes and identify acquisition or partnership targets.
Let’s talk
Whether you’re a founder trying to figure out your first DoD customer or an investor evaluating a deal, we’re happy to spend 30 minutes understanding your situation.