NSIN Propel

NSIN Propel

Supports startups advancing national security technology through a focused two-stage accelerator.

NSIN Propel is a two-month accelerator jointly operated by the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) and Decisive Point, hosted at Newlab in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. NSIN is a DoD program office under the Defense Innovation Unit that focuses on building innovation ecosystems for national security challenges. Propel is the program's Brooklyn-based acceleration track, aimed at early-stage startups developing technologies relevant to Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, joint commands, and Department of Homeland Security mission areas.

Selected companies receive resources for product development, direct access to and engagement with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), a network of advisors drawn from the military and venture capital communities, and small amounts of catalytic funding provided directly through NSIN. The specific per-company catalytic funding amount is not publicly disclosed. Alumni outcomes from the inaugural cohort include more than $9.3 million in government research and development funding and over $45 million in private capital raised in the year following the program. One portfolio company, Macro-Eyes, attributed a $10 million investment round to being triggered by NSIN's catalytic funding. The 2022 cohort comprised 16 startups.

Eligibility is restricted to for-profit U.S.-incorporated ventures focused on national security technology. The program runs on an annual or rolling cycle; specific application windows are announced on the NSIN website as each cohort opens. Because the primary mechanism is catalytic funding and accelerator services rather than a competitive grant, companies should evaluate fit based on their DoD engagement strategy and readiness to participate in a structured two-month program with in-person elements at the Brooklyn Navy Yard location. The program is distinct from NSIN Vector, which targets pre-Series A companies for a prize-focused cohort, and from NSIN Hacks and Boost, which operate on different formats.