Partnership Overview

Independence Foundry partners with mission-aligned organizations to build Philadelphia’s defense and dual-use technology ecosystem at the institutional level.

Our partners do not sponsor events.
They help shape regional national security capacity across talent, technology, and collaboration.

This is not visibility.
This is infrastructure building

Why Partner

Partners engage with Independence Foundry to:

  • Gain early access to DoD-aligned talent pipelines

  • Influence the regional dual-use technology ecosystem

  • Strengthen university–industry–government coordination

  • Participate in a federally aligned, nonprofit regional institution

  • Shape long-term workforce, research, and transition outcomes

This is not transactional engagement.
This is institutional participation.

Partnership Model

Independence Foundry is sustained through a tiered partnership structure designed to align diverse organizations around shared regional national security outcomes.

🟦 Forge Partner

Entry-Level Regional Builder

Designed for:

  • Startups

  • Small businesses

  • Community-based organizations

  • Emerging academic programs

Forge Partners receive:

  • Access to select Independence Foundry programs and events

  • Visibility within the regional dual-use ecosystem

  • Participation in talent pipeline activations

  • Inclusion in the Foundry’s partner network

This tier is for organizations entering the ecosystem.

🟥 Strategic Partner

Ecosystem-Shaping Partner

Designed for:

  • Defense primes

  • Major research institutions

  • Large technology companies

  • Anchor workforce organizations

Strategic Partners receive:

  • Co-branded programs and convenings

  • Priority access to talent pipelines

  • Direct alignment with federal and academic initiatives

  • Participation in regional working groups

  • Elevated institutional visibility

This tier shapes the ecosystem.

🟨 Catalyst Partner

Program-Enabling Partner

Designed for:

  • Mid-sized companies

  • University departments and centers

  • Workforce development organizations

Catalyst Partners receive:

  • Sponsorship of specific programs, workshops, or pilots

  • Direct engagement with students and early-career talent

  • Targeted university and workforce alignment

  • Program-level visibility and recognition

This tier activates programs.

🟪 Founding Partner

Institutional Founders Circle

Designed for:

  • Legacy institutions

  • Philanthropic organizations

  • Corporate and federal-aligned benefactors

Founding Benefactors receive:

  • Long-term regional ecosystem shaping role

  • Strategic advisory access

  • Public recognition as a founding supporter

  • Legacy-level participation in building Philadelphia’s defense future

This tier builds the institution itself

What Partners Enable

Through partnership support, Independence Foundry is able to:

  • Operate the Future Force Forum talent pipeline series

  • Deliver Defense Talent Workshops & Pathway Activations

  • Convene the Regional Defense & Dual-Use Technology Summit

  • Launch university–industry–federal working groups and pilots

  • Coordinate federally aligned regional collaboration

Partners are not on the sidelines.
They are inside the operating model.

Founding Capital & Initial Commitment

Independence Foundry is raising $150,000 in Founding Capital to fully activate its first year of regional operations.

Founding Partners play a defining role in:

  • Stabilizing nonprofit and compliance infrastructure

  • Scaling early workforce and technology programs

  • Launching the Regional Defense & Dual-Use Technology Summit

  • Formalizing Philadelphia’s first unified defense & dual-use coordination platform

This is not startup seed funding.
This is activation capital for a regional national security institution.

Who Should Partner

We actively seek alignment with:

  • Dual-use and defense-adjacent companies

  • Defense primes and subcontractors

  • Universities, HBCUs, MSIs, and community colleges

  • Workforce and veteran transition organizations

  • Philanthropic and mission-aligned institutions

  • Federal and federally affiliated organizations (non-financial participation)

If your organization touches technology, talent, or national security, you belong in this network.

Partner Inquiry

We welcome conversations with organizations ready to shape Philadelphia’s defense and dual-use future.