Mapping the Ground
What We Are Learning from Canada's Defence Innovation Ecosystem
As Vimy Forge concludes its second residency week with the Black Flight cohort, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: Canada's defence innovation ecosystem is entering a period of rapid growth and transformation.
Over the past several months, our cohort companies have had the opportunity to engage directly with military operators, government stakeholders, defence primes, investors, and industry leaders from across Canada. These conversations have reinforced something we have long believed: there is no shortage of innovation in Canada. The challenge is visibility, connectivity, and alignment.
Residency Week 2: Learning from the End User
A core objective of Vimy Forge is ensuring innovators understand the operational realities faced by those who will ultimately use their technologies.
During Residency Week 2, cohort members spent time at CFB Gagetown speaking directly with operators about the realities of modern military operations and the challenges they face in the field. We heard from personnel with firsthand experience navigating complex operational environments, providing valuable context that helps innovators better understand where their solutions can create meaningful impact.
We also connected companies with representatives from the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard, creating opportunities to better understand maritime and Arctic requirements, operational constraints, and emerging capability needs.
The closer innovators are to end users, the better positioned they are to develop solutions that solve real-world problems rather than theoretical ones.
Building Connections Across the Ecosystem
Innovation alone is rarely enough.
The companies participating in Black Flight are also engaging with defence primes, investment firms, ecosystem partners, and experienced operators who understand how capability moves from concept to deployment.
These conversations have focused on procurement pathways, commercialization strategies, investment readiness, supply chain integration, and the realities of scaling defence-focused businesses. For many companies, success depends not only on building great technology, but on understanding how to navigate a complex ecosystem of stakeholders and decision-makers.
One of the most encouraging observations has been the willingness of organizations across Canada to collaborate. There is a growing recognition that strengthening Canadian capability will require closer relationships between innovators, operators, government, industry, and capital providers.
The Same Questions Keep Coming Up
What has been particularly interesting is that regardless of who we speak with—operators, government officials, banks, venture capital firms, defence primes, accelerators, or innovators—the same questions continue to emerge.
Who is building what?
Where are those companies located?
What capabilities are being developed in Canada today?
How mature are those technologies?
Where are the gaps?
Despite the significant attention currently being directed toward defence and sovereign capability, there is no comprehensive source of truth that answers these questions.
Why This Matters
That presents a challenge for everyone involved.
Governments need better visibility into the capabilities that already exist within Canada as they make decisions on policy, procurement, and investment.
Financial institutions and investors need a clearer picture of where opportunities are emerging and where capital can have the greatest impact.
Industry partners need to identify potential collaborators and suppliers
Accelerators and ecosystem organizations need better intelligence to design programs that reflect the realities facing Canadian innovators.
Most importantly, Canadian companies themselves need a stronger understanding of the ecosystem they are operating within.
Before meaningful effort can be coordinated, the ground must first be understood.
Introducing the Vimy Forge Expression of Interest
That is why Vimy Forge is launching a national Expression of Interest initiative to map Canada's defence, security, and dual-use innovation landscape.
The objective is straightforward: build a living picture of Canadian capabilities organized against Canada's Key Sovereign Capabilities and Technology Readiness Levels.
By doing so, we can begin creating a more complete understanding of where innovation exists, how it is evolving, and where opportunities for collaboration, investment, and capability development may exist.
→ Complete the Expression of Interest
What This Is — And What It Isn't
Importantly, this is not an application to a future Vimy Forge cohort. There is no selection process attached to this initiative. We are not evaluating companies, screening applicants, or building a recruitment funnel.
This is a mapping exercise designed to strengthen the ecosystem as a whole.
Whether you are an established defence supplier, a dual-use technology company, a startup exploring defence markets, or an organization supporting Canada's security and resilience, your participation helps improve the quality of the picture we are building together.
Building a Living Picture of Canadian Capability
A map created once has value, but a map that is maintained and improved over time becomes something far more powerful.
It allows governments to understand emerging capabilities. It helps investors identify opportunities earlier. It enables industry to find partners. It helps innovators understand where they fit within the broader ecosystem.
Most importantly, it helps Canada make better decisions.
As we continue to support the companies in our Black Flight cohort and expand the Vimy Forge ecosystem, we remain focused on one objective: connecting Canadian innovation to Canadian need.
Building that future starts with understanding the ground beneath our feet.