-- As the United States government commits $1 trillion to national defense and the world loses $19 trillion a year to violent conflict, one question has gone unanswered in Silicon Valley, on Sand Hill Road, and inside the Beltway: where are the founders building the technology to stop war?
The PeaceTech GTM Accelerator officially launches its 2026 cohort this May in Arlington, Virginia — and it is accepting applications now.
Twelve weeks. Zero equity given. Founders leave with a pilot-ready MVP, $250K+ in sales pipeline, a complete investor data room, and warm introductions to 150+ investors, federal buyers, and enterprise partners ready to deploy capital.
Founding sponsors include Salesforce, Carta, Rho, and FinStrat Management. Legal counsel from a firm with 3,000+ venture deals and $4B+ in closed transactions. Arlington Economic Development is the founding location partner — home to the Pentagon, the Defense Innovation Unit, and the most active national security procurement ecosystem in the world.
"For three decades, Washington has increased defense budgets and watched conflict spread anyway. The missing piece was never funding. It was founders." said Shane Ray Martin, CEO of the PeaceTech GTM Accelerator and investor at B Ventures Group. "We're not anti-defense. We're pro-solutions. The tech founders in this cohort are building AI to make our national security stronger, our alliances more sound, and our response to violent conflict faster."
Martin is a certified peace mediator, LinkedIn Top Voice in Negotiation, former startup founder, and the architect of an ecosystem that has connected 230+ founders across 25 countries, reached 3M+ on LinkedIn, and generated 75K+ podcast downloads. Supporters include Brian Abrams, co-founder of a $1.2B fund with 16 IPOs; Arun Sankaran, former CEO of 202 Group, which was acquired by BlueVoyant; and Adam Chen of FinStrat, whose firm has helped founders raise $480M+ in VC funding.
The Q2 2026 cohort targets software founders building in five sectors: Cyber and Infrastructure, AI and Negotiation, Misinformation, National Security, and Conflict Prevention. These are problems most defense contractors aren't solving right now and governments can't fix.
Six spots. Applications close April 30.
Strong nations don't just outspend their enemies. They out-innovate them. That's what this is, for the collective good of humanity.
Founders Apply Here: https://forms.gle/hcXJzh6oTgwdvnHu5
About PeaceTech GTM Accelerator
The only free, venture-backed accelerator in the US purpose-built for founders developing technology to reduce violent conflict and protect human life. 12 weeks. Zero equity. Arlington, VA. Learn more at shaneraymartin.com.
Contact Info:
Name: Shane Ray Martin
Email: Send Email
Organization: PeaceTech GTM Accelerator
Website: http://shaneraymartin.com
Release ID: 89188493
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