Selling to the government federal, state, or local is fundamentally different from selling to a commercial customer, and for defense tech companies, understanding how the system works can be just as important as building the technology.

Join Pillsbury, RSM, and Rising Tide Partners for a practical conversation and lunch about what founders and operators need to know as they pursue government customers and build companies for the defense market.

We’ll bring together government contracts attorneys, advisors who work with companies navigating the government market, and experienced operators to explore both the rules of the road and what actually happens when you start selling.

Martin Bridges, who has extensive firsthand experience selling into government, will moderate the conversation and help bridge the gap between the technical requirements and the realities founders encounter in the field.

We’ll cover topics including:

  • How selling to the government differs from commercial sales and what know before the first government contract

  • Protecting technology and intellectual property

  • Financial and operational considerations as government revenue grows

  • Lessons learned from successfully selling into government and how to avoid common mistakes

This isn’t intended to be a legal or technical lecture- not a single slide will be shown. It will be a candid, founder-focused conversation with plenty of opportunity for questions.

If you’re building in defense tech, dual-use technology, aerospace, national security, or another sector where the government could become a customer, we hope you’ll join us.