By Rob Bocek Chief Commercial Officer
What the Rise Signals
Each year, the Silicon Valley Defense Group’s NatSec100 provides a snapshot of where momentum is building across the venture/PE-backed defense innovation ecosystem.
The NatSec100 is not a list driven by visibility or valuation – it’s a signal grounded in traction and the ability to execute in mission-critical environments. The list uses a momentum-centric, quantitative framework that includes recent capital raised, total capital raised, recent headcount growth and – for the first time in 2026 – U.S. government contracting activity.
This year, Virtualitics moved up nearly 20 spots on the NatSec100, rising to #76. That kind of movement is meaningful and Virtualitics is one of only 25 organizations who moved up year-over-year. Not just as recognition, but as a reflection of where we – and the broader market – are headed.
“Moving up the NatSec100 is a meaningful signal of the momentum Virtualitics is building with our customers,” said Jeanna Peterson, Executive VP of Marketing and Development. “It reflects not just growth, but the increasing impact and relevance of Mission AI in helping defense organizations improve readiness to make better decisions in complex, high-stakes environments.”
From Innovation to Mission Impact
Across defense, the readiness conversation is shifting; the question is no longer whether AI belongs in national security, it’s which companies are proving they can deliver. The NatSec100 increasingly reflects the reality that innovation alone is not enough. What matters is whether technology is adopted, operationalized and trusted when stakes are highest.
“As we turn our attention from innovation incubation to innovation adoption, we are building a new American Industrial Base,” said James Cross, Co-Founder and Board Member of Silicon Valley Defense Group in this year’s report. “Product quality and reliability no longer define success for non-traditional companies, instead, these companies must also ensure they can deliver production at volume.”
That shift, from pilot to prove-it-can-scale, mirrors what Virtualitics is seeing firsthand in the adoption of readiness AI for critical missions. Customers are not looking for experimental capabilities. They are looking for solutions that improve readiness today – tools that can integrate complex data transparently, provide clarity under uncertainty and support faster, better decisions at every level of command.
Virtualitics was founded a decade ago on the same premise that AI must be explainable, actionable and designed for real-world use, not just theoretical performance. Over the past year, we’ve seen growing demand for solutions that move beyond siloed, static analytics and instead deliver a unified view of readiness – seamlessly connecting data, surfacing risk, and enabling informed action at scale as part of a broader shift across defense:
- Increased emphasis on operational outcomes over experimentation
- Greater focus on deployment, not just development
- Rising expectations around trust, transparency and usability of AI systems
Our progress on the NatSec100 reflects a continued alignment between what we build and what operators need.
That momentum is reflected in how our work is expanding across larger, more complex organizations. As adoption grows, Virtualitics is supporting decision-making at the highest echelons, helping leaders build a shared, real-time understanding of readiness so they can act with greater speed and confidence.
Looking Ahead – A Signal of Expanding Public Sector Momentum
The defense innovation ecosystem is entering a new phase—one defined less by potential and more by performance. For companies in this space, the path forward is clear: translate capability into mission impact and do it at speed and scale. Virtualitics remains focused on that challenge.
At the same time, we believe Mission AI will play a central role in how readiness is defined and delivered in the years ahead across other critical missions – and the companies best positioned to lead are those already proving value in operational environments today.
Our movement in the NatSec100 is one signal of that trajectory. More importantly, it reinforces our confidence in where we’re going and the role we can play in helping shape what comes next.
