LaunchVets

Weekly digest

Monday Deadlines

Every Monday at 6am ET we send the week's open grant, accelerator, pitch competition, and SBIR deadlines relevant to veteran founders. Free. Cancel anytime.

No fluff. No sponsored placements. Deadlines get pulled from the 182-program LaunchVets library and shipped in a five-minute Monday-morning read.

182
Total open programs
29
Grants and pitch cycles
10
Accelerator windows
94
Rolling programs

What Monday Deadlines includes

This week's closing deadlines

Grants and pitch competitions that close in the next 7-10 days. Sponsor, award, and eligibility in one line each so you can decide in under a minute whether to apply.

Accelerator and cohort application windows

PenFed VEP, IVMF Military Founders Lab, Warrior Rising, VBOC intake, university accelerators. Cohort windows do not repeat quickly, so missing one costs six months.

SBIR and federal opportunity flags

DoD, DIU, NSIN, AFWERX, Army xTech, and NavalX solicitations relevant to vet-founded companies. Filtered so you are not reading through the whole SBIR topic index.

One deeper editorial note

A short read on a program worth thinking about. Not a pitch, not a sponsor. Just context on a program the average vet founder should know exists.

Monday Deadlines

Grant, accelerator, and pitch cycle deadlines. Every Monday at 6am ET. Free. Cancel anytime.

Sample: current grant and pitch cycles

A live look at what next Monday's digest would include. Non-dilutive grants and pitch competitions with an open cycle.

Small Business+ StartupPitch Competition
Veterans Business Battle

Rice University

BLUF
  • Time:40-80 hours (prep + pitch)
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Prize MoneyNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:In-Person
  • Academic:Strong

Vet-founded businesses pitching for capital investment.

$300k+ total annual investment pool
Annual (spring event, apps open in September) · Early applications open around September 2, 2026 (feedback cycle); regular application close January 31, 2027; event April 2027.
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingGrantGovernment Program
SBIR Phase I (DoD)

Department of Defense

BLUF
  • Time:120-250 hours per proposal
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection + Eligibility-Based
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Light

Small businesses (<500 employees) with majority US ownership; Phase I funds feasibility studies.

$50k - $250k for 6-12 months
Multiple cycles · Multiple per year via DoD components
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingGrantGovernment Program
SBIR Phase II (DoD)

Department of Defense

BLUF
  • Time:200-400 hours per proposal
  • Admittance:Eligibility-Based + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Light

Phase I awardees with demonstrated feasibility.

$750k - $1.8M for 24 months
Multiple cycles · Per Phase I completion
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingGrantGovernment Program
SBIR (NIH)

National Institutes of Health

BLUF
  • Time:150-300 hours per proposal
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Strong

Small businesses developing biomedical / health technologies.

Phase I up to $400k; Phase II up to $2M
Multiple cycles · Three cycles per year
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingGrantGovernment Program
SBIR (NSF)

National Science Foundation

BLUF
  • Time:80-160 hours (Project Pitch first, then proposal)
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Strong

Small businesses developing deep tech / commercial science applications.

Phase I up to $305k; Phase II up to $1M
Multiple cycles · Twice yearly
Startup+ Defense Tech & Dual-UseGrant
SBIR (DOE)

Department of Energy

BLUF
  • Time:20-60 hours (application + reporting)
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Light

Small businesses developing energy/clean tech.

Phase I up to $250k; Phase II up to $1.6M
Annual · Annual topic releases
Startup+ Defense Tech & Dual-UseGrant
SBIR (NASA)

NASA

BLUF
  • Time:20-60 hours (application + reporting)
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Light

Small businesses developing aerospace and space technology.

Phase I up to $150k; Phase II up to $850k
Annual · Annual
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingGrantGovernment Program
STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer)

Multiple federal agencies

BLUF
  • Time:150-300 hours per proposal
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:N/A
  • Academic:Strong

Small businesses partnered with research institutions (university, federal lab); 30%+ work at research institution.

Similar to SBIR; agency-specific
Multiple cycles · Agency-specific
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingGrantGovernment Program
AFWERX (Air Force)

U.S. Air Force

BLUF
  • Time:60-200 hours per Open Topic
  • Admittance:Application + Eligibility-Based
  • Funding:Non-Dilutive GrantNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:Hybrid
  • Academic:Light

Small businesses; Open Topic and Direct-to-Phase-II paths.

Phase I $75k; Phase II up to $1.5M+; Strategic Funding Increase potential
Multiple cycles · Multiple per year

Sample: current accelerator windows

Cohort-based programs with an open application window. Miss one and you wait for the next cycle.

Small Business+ StartupAccelerator
VetToCEO 7-Week Entrepreneurship Program

VetToCEO

BLUF
  • Time:40-60 hours (7-week program)
  • Admittance:Application + Committee Selection
  • Funding:In-KindNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:Remote
  • Academic:Moderate

Post-9/11 era veterans; competitive selection.

Free curriculum + alumni network
Multiple cycles · Quarterly cohorts
Small Business+ StartupAccelerator
Military Founders Lab (IVMF)

IVMF at Syracuse University

BLUF
  • Time:60-150 hours (6-month cohort)
  • Admittance:Application + Interview
  • Funding:In-KindNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:Hybrid
  • Academic:Strong

Vets, active military, and military spouses with an active business idea. Successor to the former Veterans in Residence and Breaking Barriers in Entrepreneurship community programs.

Free WeWork access + curriculum + cohort + mentors
Multiple cycles · Cohort cycles, check IVMF site
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingAccelerator
NSIN Starts

National Security Innovation Network

BLUF
  • Time:80-150 hours (cohort)
  • Admittance:Application + Interview
  • Funding:In-KindNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:Hybrid
  • Academic:Moderate

Early-stage dual-use startups; cohort-based.

Curriculum + DoD customer access + mentor network
Annual · Annual cohort
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingAccelerator
DAV Patriot Boot Camp

Disabled American Veterans (DAV)

BLUF
  • Time:24-40 hours (3-day intensive + follow-up)
  • Admittance:Application + Interview
  • Funding:In-KindNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:In-Person
  • Academic:Moderate

Vets, military-affiliated founders, and spouses building for-profit businesses. Free 3-day intensive plus year-round programming.

Free intensive cohort + $10,000 in cash prizes via live pitch contest
Annual · Spring and fall cohorts; check site for application window
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingAccelerator
Founder Institute Veteran Fellowship

Founder Institute

BLUF
  • Time:200-400 hours (4-month pre-seed program)
  • Admittance:Application + Interview
  • Funding:In-KindNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:Remote
  • Academic:Moderate

Vets accepted into Founder Institute global pre-seed program; fellowship covers fees.

Tuition fellowship + standard FI curriculum
Multiple cycles · Per FI cohort
Startup+ Hardware & ManufacturingAccelerator
MassChallenge

MassChallenge

BLUF
  • Time:150-300 hours (cohort)
  • Admittance:Application + Interview
  • Funding:In-KindNon-dilutive
  • Delivery:Hybrid
  • Academic:Light

Early-stage startups; equity-free accelerator; vet track in select years.

$50k - $250k zero-equity prizes
Annual · Annual cohort
Archive

Back-issues of Monday Deadlines will be published here as they ship. Each issue links to the programs referenced so past deadlines still serve as a research index. Subscribe above to get the first issue in your inbox on Monday.

Have a program that should be tracked? Email hello@launchvets.com with a sponsor page, eligibility summary, and current deadline.