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innovation fund

The Only Non-Dilutive Pre-Seed Fund
Protecting Patriotism at it's Inception

Investing in the Emerging Generation of  Talent & Technology

The Innovation Fund is Common Mission's strategic investment engine, designed to protect our greatest asset - the spirit of American innovation and entrepreneurship. We invest in bold ideas, emerging technologies, mission-driven student teams and young founders — ensuring they focus on solving critical national problems. 

Our non-dilutive funding cultivates a robust pipeline of talent and technology, solidifying America’s competitive advantage.

Are you building the future of national security innovation? 

IMPACT

We invest in talent & tech before others do. 

PORTFOLIO

Young Founders Building Novel Solutions 

Human-Integrated Battery Innovation

Funding to Date: $7M

Anthro Energy

Years-Long Flight Without Landing

Funding to Date: $7.9M

Zenith Aerospace

Microlearning for Military Readiness

Funding to Date: $34M

Ethos Systems

Decrypting Foreign Language Intelligence

Funding to Date: $87M

Vannevar Labs

SAR Satellite Intelligence

Funding to Date: $239M

Capella Space
Operationalizing Institutional Memory

Team Aldun
University of Chicago
Hanscom AFB Procurement Team

EMS Decoy Devices

Battle Bluffs: EMS Mirage
University of California San Diego
173rd Airborne Division

Balloon Launch Procedure

Team Dart Monkey
William & Mary
U.S. Army

Power over Ethernet Damage Prevention

55-Eletric
Indiana University - Bloomington
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security

Document Tracking

USAF-546: When Paper Trails Become Paper Chains
Carnegie Mellon University
Air Force

Automated Defense Manufacturing Workflows

Pensa Technologies: From CAD to Combat-Ready
Harvard University
Department of Defense

Adaptive Camouflage to Unmapped Terrain

Crypsis: Rewriting the Rules of Battlefield Camouflage
Georgetown University
1-91 CAV, 173rd IBCT (ABN)

Trust and Clarity for Sexual Assault Victims

Student Team
University of Chicago
Army Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention

Rapid Acquisition

Swift Strategy: Automating Acquisition Intelligence
Indiana University - Bloomington
USAF-514

Tank Fire Suppression Systems

NoSmoke: When False Alarms Cost Combat Readiness
University of California, San Diego
U.S Army JMRC

Standardizing Reports

USAF-558: When Every Report Counts
Carnegie Mellon University
Security Forces Patrolman

Object Detection

StrikeCam Army-438
University of Southern California
USARMY 101 ABN DIV 2 BCT

Tactical High-Altitude Balloon Launch Playbook

Army-451: Rewriting the Rules of Tactical Launches
Indiana University
Join Base Lewis-McChord

Quantum Resistant Architecture

Quantum Ninjas: Cryptographic Agility at Machine Speed
Carnegie Mellon University
Department of Defense

Airway to Classroom

USAF-525: Unlocking Airmen as Educators
Indiana University - Bloomington
U.S. Air Force

JBCP Improvements

Team Tank - Army 420
Carnegie Mellon University

Headset Inventory Tracking

USAF-556
Indiana University - Bloomington
Offutt Air Force Base

Improving Medical Student Success

DHA-24
Carnegie Mellon University
Medical Equipment Training Campus

Scouting Urban Locations

Army-442 | Clear Without Fear
University of Chicago
1-91 CAV, 173rd IBCT (ABN)

Containerized Water Systems

Rehydrate, Inc: Water Where it's Needed Most
Harvard University
Department of Defense

Self-healing Battlefield Communications

Omnicomm: Tactical Networks That Heal Themselves
Stanford University
18th Airborne Corps

Common Operating Picture

SpecTrackers: Seeing the Spectrum in Real Time
James Madison University
U.S. Army

Missile Defense Policy

Team Star Wars: Policy Barriers in Missile Defense
William & Mary
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command

Resilient Batteries

Team Resilient: Distributed Power for Mission Assurance
University of California, San Diego

Evaluating Cultural Competency

Lohe: Building Bridges Before They're Needed
Georgetown University
INDOPACOM

On-demand Recruiting Data

RecruitVision USMCR-3
University of Southern Mississippi
G3 Plans & Research Branch, Marine Corps Recruiting Command

Decision Authority for Global Conflict

Task Force Unity: Designing Decision Authority for a Global Fight
William & Mary
U.S. Army War College Joint Staff

Live Communication Signal Analytics

OrcaLink: Clarity to Military Comms Training
UC San Diego
EUCOM Joint Multinational Readiness Center

Cutting Edge Drone Technology

UAS Policy and Acquisition Expansion (UPAX)
James Madison University
SOCOM

Drone Prevention Systems

Team Athena: Racing Against Russian Drones
University of California, San Diego
Forward Horizon

HVAC Energy Resilience

Team Redstone: Power When It Matters Most
University of California, San Diego
U.S. Airforce, 911th AW Installation

Inspiring Recruitment

ANG-64: Recruitment After Readiness
Carnegie Mellon University
Ohio Army National Guard

Data Processing at Lightspeed

ArgusNet
Stanford University
National Geospatial Agency

Modular Swarm Undersea Payload

Hydra Strike: One-to-Many Deterrence in the Undersea Fight
Stanford University
U.S. Navy

Predictive Critical Mineral Supply Chains

SupplyShield: Mapping Vulnerability Across Critical Mineral Supply Chains
Stanford University
In-Q-Tel, US Department of Commerce

OUR PROGRAMS

CMP’s signature programs, Hacking for Defense (H4D) and Hacking for Diplomacy (H4Diplomacy), bring together interdisciplinary teams of diverse student innovators and young founders to solve real-world challenges provided by government agencies. These experiential learning opportunities create pathways for students to transform their ideas into actionable, scalable ventures—bridging the gap between academia, government, and industry.

Hacking for Defense®

Military Aircraft

Hacking for Diplomacy

Capitol Building

New & Emerging

Laser Cutting
PARTNERS

We are powered by visionaries

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Our impact is made possible through the generous support of forward-thinking partners like Lockheed Martin and BMNT, whose contributions have helped fuel investment into student technology teams. By partnering with leading organizations committed to national security, The Fund drives real change, ensuring that the best ideas receive the support they need to succeed.

Want to help shape the future of defense innovation?

Washington DC | Palo Alto CA

Common Mission Project is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |  Tax ID: 81-2345565

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© 2025 by Common Mission Project All rights reserved.

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