Washington – October 06, 2026 -- Strider Technologies has secured a contract worth up to $85 million from the Department of the Air Force, formalizing a five-year collaboration with the service's Office of Commercial and Economic Analysis (OCEA) to screen for nation-state risk in defense innovation programs.
Contract formalizes existing screening work on federal small-business funding programs
The agreement builds on Strider's prior work with OCEA and covers continued screening of applicants to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These programs direct federal R&D funding to small U.S. businesses developing technologies with both defense and commercial applications, making them a target for adversarial nation-states seeking sensitive technology, intellectual property, and talent through undisclosed foreign ties, ownership, or financing.
AI-driven intelligence flags foreign ownership and influence risks before awards are made
Strider's strategic intelligence is built on open-source data processed through AI and proprietary risk methodology, allowing OCEA to identify foreign ownership, control, and influence risks tied to applicants, their key personnel, and their networks prior to funding decisions. The company states this enables the Air Force to move innovation forward quickly while protecting taxpayer investment and the integrity of the defense industrial base.
Deal structure allows expansion into additional Air Force mission areas
Beyond SBIR and STTR screening, the contract is designed to scale with evolving mission needs, giving the Air Force a foundation to extend Strider's intelligence capabilities to other areas over the five-year term.
"The PRC and other nation-states are targeting the startups and researchers building the technologies that will define future military advantage," said Greg Levesque, CEO and Co-Founder of Strider. He added that the contract reflects years of partnership with OCEA and gives the Department of War a scalable way to protect that innovation.
Rob Turner, Strider's Vice President of Government, said adversarial nation-states are working at an unprecedented scale to embed themselves in the defense innovation base through hidden ownership, financing, and personnel ties.