What stage does Defence Trailblazer invest at?

Defence Trailblazer invests at the Seed, Series A stages.

What sectors does Defence Trailblazer focus on?

Defence Trailblazer focuses on Defense Tech.

Where is Defence Trailblazer located?

Defence Trailblazer is headquartered in Adelaide, AU.

Defence Trailblazer

Government fund

Adelaide · Seed–Series A · 17 people tracked

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Find your way into Defence Trailblazer

217 people in our graph share verified history with the Defence Trailblazer team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

John Dysonunlockedknows Nigel McGinty · together at RMIT University (overlapped)

×5knows the team · via The Australian National University

×6knows the team · via RMIT University

✨ Fox Verdict

Investment thesis

Defence Trailblazer aims to accelerate the commercialisation of research at speed and scale to support the Australian Defence Force. It develops education and training pathways to address skills gaps and the defence sector's future workforce needs, fast-tracks entrepreneurs' and innovators' ideas toward commercial application, and enhances collaboration between industry, government and academia. Operating through programs for industry partners, students and researchers, and innovators and entrepreneurs, it supports an innovation ecosystem that translates ideas into capability for defence.

Invests inDefense Tech Adelaide Australia

Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.

Stage

Seed–Series A

Adelaide, AU

Instruments

Equity · Grants

Team · 17 people

from the firm's website

Emily Pyke· Co-founder, Undatech

Sanjay Mazumdar· Executive Director, Defence Trailblazer

Alan Rankins· Chairman, GuardWare Australia

Anton Middelberg· Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research), Adelaide University

Bronwyn Fox· Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research & Enterprise, UNSW

Bruce Northcote· Pro Vice-Chancellor Research Operations and Chief Security Officer, Adelaide University

Chris Mills· Director, Defence Research Institute, UNSW

Christine Zeitz· Independent Chair

Heather Nicoll· General Manager, Workforce, Innovation and Culture

Ilsa Stuart· Senior Partnerships Manager

Margaret Law· General Manager, Technology Development & Acceleration· Greater Bournemouth Areain

Margaret Law is General Manager, Technology Development and Commercialisation at Defence Trailblazer. She has more than 20 years of industry experience in innovation, science, and technology, with a focus on translational research and organisational change through research and development activities. Her background spans research, project management, research portfolio management, strategic planning, and leading multidisciplinary teams.

Matt Pearse· Head Force Integration, Australian Defence Force

Michael Webb· Executive Director, Defence & Security Institute, Adelaide University· Bath, England, United Kingdomin

Nigel McGinty· Chief Human and Decision Sciences, Defence Science and Technology Group· Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australiain

Rick Burr· Executive Committee member· Adelaide, South Australia, Australiain

Rick Burr is a Director at Dorset Business Angels, an organisation that connects high net worth individuals with businesses seeking finance. He has started, grown, and sold multiple businesses, two of which reached over £20M in turnover, and joined Vistage as a Group Chairman in 2011, later assisting Vistage HQ with the recruitment, training, and mentoring of new chairmen across the UK. He mentors and advises small and medium-sized business owners, invests in small businesses, and manages a property portfolio and his own investments.

Simon MacDonald· Business Manager· Greater Adelaide Areain

Stephen Rodda· Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry & Innovation), The University of New South Wales

Frequently asked questions

What stage does Defence Trailblazer invest at?: Defence Trailblazer invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
What sectors does Defence Trailblazer focus on?: Defence Trailblazer focuses on Defense Tech.
Where is Defence Trailblazer located?: Defence Trailblazer is headquartered in Adelaide, AU.

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