Summer 2026 · Dual-Use Tech Incubator

Build a venture-scale company this summer.

A highly selective incubator for UC San Diego founders building in AI, defense, robotics, autonomy, space, and critical infrastructure — backed by Bow Capital.

$100K
Investment per team
5
Teams selected
3 mo
In-person program
Apply Now → Learn more
Eligibility: At least one cofounder must be UC San Diego-affiliated — student, faculty, or alumni.
01 / What you get

Capital, operators, and a direct line to real customers.

$
$100K upfront funding
Start building immediately. No milestone gates, no delays.
◎
Operator mentorship
Direct access to founders from Ambi Robotics, GrayMatter Robotics, Firestorm Labs, Perseus Defense, and Victus Technologies.
✦
Fireside chats
Hear from leaders at Micron Technology, Qualcomm, Adobe, Walmart, and leading government organizations.
⬢
Government & defense exposure
Connect with real operators and buyers across DoD, SOCOM, and adjacent agencies.
▲
Field demo day
Test your tech in a real-world operational setting — not a conference room.
↗
Investor demo day
Raise your first institutional round in front of a curated investor audience.
02 / What this leads to

A direct path into the dual-use ecosystem.

Bow Capital-backed companies are already working with SOCOM, the Department of Defense, and Fortune 500 companies.

This program is designed to drop you into that network from day one — with the introductions, infrastructure, and credibility to win contracts that normally take years.

SOCOMSpecial Operations
DoDDepartment of Defense
F500Fortune 500
UC SystemResearch partners
03 / Who should apply

UC San Diego-affiliated founders building at the frontier.

01
AI, robotics & autonomy
Foundation models Autonomy stacks Manipulation
02
Defense, space & cyber
Dual-use hardware Space systems Cyber
03
Advanced manufacturing & infrastructure
Energy Industrial AI Critical supply

You don’t need a full company. We care about technical ability, speed, and ambition.

04 / Mentors & operators

Backed by operators who have built and scaled category-defining companies.

We don’t bring in “mentors.” We bring in operators who have built billion-dollar companies, deployed real systems, and worked directly with the U.S. government. Founders in the program get direct access to this network.

Vivek Ranadivé
Vivek Ranadivé
Bow Capital · General Partner

Founder of TIBCO Software (multi-billion dollar enterprise software company), Owner of the Sacramento Kings, and General Partner at Bow Capital. Deep experience scaling enterprise platforms and global businesses.

Paul Jacobs
Paul Jacobs
Qualcomm · Former CEO & Executive Chairman

Former CEO and Executive Chairman of Qualcomm. One of the most important figures in building San Diego’s deep tech and wireless ecosystem.

Dan Magy
Dan Magy
Firestorm Labs · Founder & CEO

Founder & CEO of Firestorm Labs, building expeditionary manufacturing systems for the U.S. military.

Pavneet Singh
Pavneet Singh
Bow Capital · Advisor

Former Advisor to the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), with deep relationships across DoD and national security.

Eric Younge
Eric Younge
Ouster · Co-Founder

Co-founder of Ouster (public lidar company) and former SpaceX avionics engineer. Expert in autonomy and hardware systems.

Jesse Hamel
Jesse Hamel
Victus Technologies · CEO

CEO of Victus Technologies and former U.S. Air Force combat pilot. Building contested autonomy systems for real operational environments.

Jason Cornelius
Jason Cornelius
Perseus Defense · Founder & CEO

Founder & CEO of Perseus Defense, developing next-generation counter-UAS systems for the U.S. military.

Josh Giegel
Josh Giegel
Gambit · Founder & CEO

Founder of Gambit and former CEO of Virgin Hyperloop. Led one of the most ambitious infrastructure companies globally.

Dennis Fong
Dennis Fong
Ephemeris · Founder & CEO

Founder & CEO of Ephemeris and former SpaceX engineer. Building space-based networking infrastructure.

Cyril Nader
Cyril Nader
Phenix Space · Founder & CEO

Founder & CEO of Phenix Space and former Dexterity engineer. Focused on advanced robotics and space systems.

Dr. Jeff Mahler
Dr. Jeff Mahler
Ambi Robotics · Founder & CTO

Founder & CTO of Ambi Robotics, a leader in AI-powered robotic manipulation for logistics and warehouse automation.

05 / About Bow Capital

Bow Capital (~$500M+ AUM) invests in frontier technology across AI, defense, robotics, and space.

Bow is anchored by the University of California endowment and works closely across all UC campuses. The firm combines institutional capital with an operator network spanning government, enterprise, and frontier tech.

This program is run in partnership with UC San Diego’s FORGE (Future Operations Research and Global Expertise), the i4NS program (Innovating for National Security), and the Horizon Accelerator, and hosted at the UC San Diego Design and Innovation Building.

Vivek Ranadivé
Founder & Managing Partner
  • Founder of TIBCO Software
  • Owner of the Sacramento Kings
  • Deep network across government, enterprise, and tech
06 / Timeline

Three intense months. One shot.

Program Start
June 15, 2026In-person kickoff
Length
3 MonthsFull-time, on-site
Cohort Size
5 TeamsHighly selective
Applications open

If you want to build something real — apply.

Only 5 teams will be selected for Summer 2026.

Submissions must be non-confidential. Please don’t include confidential, proprietary, or trade-secret information in your application. Any CDA/NDA would be discussed separately if a conversation advances.

Apply Now →
· · · Rolling review until cohort is filled · · ·