EMERGING DEFENSE TECH STARTUPS INVITED TO COMPETE FOR MORE THAN $30,000 AT VELOCITY’S 5X5 PITCH COMPETITION DURING GVSETS
Five Companies Will Pitch Live Before Investors and Industry Leaders {MBN will be on hand 11 AM Thursday for business media coverage}
WHAT:
Velocity, an MEDC SmartZone located in the Sterling Heights Innovation District and serving all of Macomb County, will host the Velocity Emerging Defense Tech 5X5 Pitch Competition during the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium (GVSETS).
Five innovative defense and dual-use technology companies will be selected to pitch their businesses live before a distinguished panel of investors and industry experts for the chance to win the following prizes: First Place – $25,000; Second Place – $10,000; and Third Place – a $6,000 legal services voucher. Judges will evaluate each company based on innovation, market opportunity, commercial viability, and overall impact, with prizes awarded to the top three teams.
This is their opportunity to gain exposure to defense industry leaders, investors, strategic partners, and potential customers while competing for funding to accelerate their growth.
WHEN:
Thursday, August 13
11:00 a.m. – Noon
WHERE:
VIBE Credit Union Showplace
GVSETS Trade Show
ABOUT GVSETS:
Presented by the NDIA Michigan Chapter, the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium (GVSETS) is the nation’s premier forum for the ground systems community to collaborate on the future of military mobility and defense technology. Now in its 18th year, the conference brings together leaders from government, industry, academia, and the military to showcase emerging technologies, discuss modernization priorities, and address critical capability gaps facing today’s Warfighters. The event features technical presentations, networking opportunities, and one of the industry’s largest defense-focused trade shows.
As the Pentagon Turns Back to Detroit, America’s Military Mobility Industry Converges at GVSETS 2026
National spotlight on Southeast Michigan grows as the region that built the Arsenal of Democracy prepares to host North America’s premier military ground vehicle engineering symposium.
NOVI, Mich., July 2026 /PRNewswire/. Eighty years after Detroit became the Arsenal of Democracy, the Pentagon is once again turning to the region that helped win World War II.
As USA marks its 250th anniversary, Southeast Michigan has reemerged as the nation’s most strategically important manufacturing region. Reporting by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Automotive News has documented the Department of Defense’s renewed engagement with Detroit automakers as it works to strengthen USA’s defense industrial base.
GM Defense is developing the Infantry Squad Vehicles (ISV) as a next-generation tactical vehicle to replace older platforms under a new Mobile Brigade Combat Team, while manufacturers and emerging technology companies alike are exploring new opportunities in defense.
For companies wanting to enter this rapidly expanding market, one event has become the front door. GVSETS 2026, the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology Symposium, returns August 11-13 at the Vibe Credit Union Showplace in Novi, Michigan. Hosted by the NDIA Michigan Chapter, it is the premier event dedicated exclusively to military ground vehicle engineering and technology.
The symposium takes place in the global epicenter of mobility, just miles from the U.S. Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) and the DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center in Warren, MI. Together, these organizations manage and sustain approximately 60% of the Army’s equipment. If a Soldier drives it, shoots it, or wears it, it is sustained from here. That single fact makes Southeast Michigan vital for military ground
vehicle innovation.
“Every generation gets one moment when industry and mission need each other completely,” said Col. (Ret.) Thom Green, GVSETS Chairman. “This is ours. USA is strengthening its defense industrial base, and that requires more than the traditional defense community. It requires manufacturers, engineers, and innovators willing to solve problems that matter.
GVSETS brings those communities together.” This year’s symposium reflects a changing defense marketplace. Alongside Army leadership, engineers, prime contractors, and international partners, venture capital firms will participate for the first time, underscoring the growing convergence of commercial technology, private investment, and national security.
“The Army is opening the door wider than ever,” said Eric Patton, GVSETS Deputy Chair. “Alongside the primes we’ve always relied on, there’s now demand for mature commercial technologies that can be adapted and fielded quickly. If your company builds technology that can make military ground vehicles smarter, more survivable, or more capable, this is where
the conversation begins.”
With thousands of attendees representing government, industry, academia, and allied nations, GVSETS has become USA’s most influential gathering for military mobility. As national attention returns to Detroit’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities, the symposium offers an opportunity to connect directly with the organizations shaping the future of America’s ground forces.
Agenda & Speakers: ndia-mich.org/gvsets-2026-agenda
About GVSETS
Now in its 18th year, the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering & Technology
Symposium (GVSETS) is North America’s premier event dedicated to military ground vehicle engineering and technology. Hosted annually by the NDIA Michigan Chapter, GVSETS convenes over 3000+ leaders and 280+ exhibitors from government, industry, academia, and allied nations to advance the technologies that strengthen the future of military mobility.
About NDIA MI Chapter
The NDIA Michigan Chapter has supported America’s warfighters since its founding in 1944.
As a nonprofit organization committed to fostering collaboration between government, industry, and academia, NDIA MI serves as a vital connector within the defense community.
Its leadership ensures that Michigan remains indispensable to advancing national security objectives. For info, visit: ndia-mich.org
# # #
National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Michigan Chapter’s GVSETS provides the opportunity to network and share technical research to more than 2,500 attendees. GVSETS will be held August 11 – 13, 2026, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.
NDIA Michigan Chapter is dedicated to enhancing and modernizing warfighter capabilities, while finding solutions for gaps which are becoming more aggressive and complex. The first day of GVSETS brings together technical experts from government, academia, and industry who will present research in specific topic areas where gaps have been identified, then open up the floor for discussion purposes. The focus of this year’s GVSETS technical sessions is presenting technology which supports the U.S. Military’s future ground maneuver concepts, systems, and formations.
In support of the Technical Sessions, all scientists and engineers are invited to submit papers which provide the ground maneuver and logistics community with increased understanding of technology. Technical paper topics can be found here.
Paper Presentations: August 11, 2026
The Call for Technical Demonstrations Proposals will be released after the New Year. We are changing it up this year and the opportunity to submit a proposal to demonstrate a capability will be open to all. Details to follow.
Exhibitor and sponsorship information will be available in February 2026.
For more information about GVSETS, contact GVSETSpapers@ndia-mich.org or GVSETS@ndia-mich.org.
