As officials from both the outgoing Biden Administration and incoming Trump Administration agree upon, the US-India bilateral relationship is the single most important geopolitical partnership of the 21^st century. The shared values and shared strategic interests between the world’s two largest democracies offer tremendous opportunities for collaborative initiatives spanning defense, technology, energy, cyber and maritime security, which will benefit both countries’ economies and contribute to a more secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. FedTech is proud to be a core stakeholder in the India-U.S. Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) announced during PM Modi's June 2023 visit to Washington, and an active participant in INDUS-X initiatives that the DoD’s defense-innovation-unit and the Indian MoD’s idex-DIO have been leading since then.  

Following FedTech and our Indian partner, IndusBridge Venture’s December 2024 launch of the India to America (I2A) Launchpad program, FedTech Advisor Geoff Odlum and National Security Innovation Project Lead Deependra Pokhrel visited India to hold in-person workshops with the seven impressive companies in our cohort, with novel and cutting-edge applications in space sensing, space launch, eVTOL, UAS and c-UAS, RF detection, and other defense and dual use technologies. 

We are confident that these companies – Big Bang Boom Solutions Private Limited BonV Aero, Optimized Electrotech Pvt Ltd, KaleidEO, Shyam VNL, ZULU DEFENCE SYSTEMS PRIVATE LIMITED, and Ethereal Exploration Guild – have a highly impactful future working with the US Department of Defense, U.S. defense prime contractors, and commercial partners. 

We are grateful to Rahul Devjani, Rishabh Pote and other friends at IBV for hosting our team so generously, to Advisor Ryan Helbach and Advisor Dana Linnet for calling in virtually to offer excellent advice on working with the US Government, and FedTech alum Jitesh Lalwani, CEO of Artificial Brain, for sharing his insights on how Indian technology companies can prosper in the United States.

We are also thankful to our friends at Collins Aerospace’s Global Technology and Engineering center (GTEC) in Bangalore  –  Ajay Mishra and Shivang Tyagi and their colleagues – for hosting our cohort at their world-class research and engineering remarkable facility; to the US Embassy in New Delhi’s Office of Defense Cooperation and the Indian MoD’s iDEX-DIO for hosting our team’s visits to their offices to discuss INDUS-X and how FedTech can support their efforts throughout 2025; and to Major General Vikrant Naik of the Indian Army for sharing his advice about the importance of continuing to deepen bilateral defense cooperation.  

If anyone in our network is interested in learning more about our I2A Launchpad, or in meeting with any of our companies, please email us at hello@fedtech.io.