The Allied paper on dual-use ventures

THE ALLIED PAPER ON DUAL-USE VENTURES

The strategic playbook empowering dual-use innovators to bridge commercial breakthroughs and national security

By Jonathan ‘JMill’ Miller | Spring 2025

The Allied Paper on Dual-Use Ventures synthesizes insights from MIT’s Dual-Use Ventures program, where entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, academics, and defense professionals came together to explore how public-private partnerships can accelerate both national security and commercial innovation. Authored collaboratively by participants, this guide serves as both a retrospective of our shared experiences and a strategic playbook for entrepreneurs navigating the complexities of dual-use ventures. It provides clear, actionable frameworks – including strategies for leveraging non-dilutive government funding, adapting to regulatory landscapes, and achieving long-term commercial viability.

We wrote this document for the founders operating in tough tech sectors, who are solving critical applications in defense and national security yet often struggle to access industry connections, funding sources, and government procurement pathways. Its value extends beyond entrepreneurs: investors, policymakers, corporate leaders, and researchers will also find clarity and insight. We dismantle misconceptions around tough tech – that it’s too slow or capital-intensive – and instead show how these ventures deliver not only financial returns but tangible solutions to some of society’s most critical challenges. By engaging with the ethical, legal, and societal implications of emerging technologies, this guide underscores responsible innovation, emphasizing how success in this domain may literally help protect and improve our world.

The Allied Paper aims to equip all stakeholders with the clarity, strategies, and frameworks needed to navigate technology, investment, and policy confidently. I encourage you: Stay true to your Mission and be an Ally to others pursuing theirs!

-JMill