Because you attended the MBDA InVision Tour, you are familiar with Federal Government start-up funding for small businesses to develop new products. It’s called Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Department of Defense just pre-announced funding available from Army, Air Force, Defense Health Agency, and the Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense ManTech, and U.S. Special Operations Command.
They will be accepting proposals from September 24 to October 23, 2019. The good news is that between now and September 24, you can view topics, ask questions, and contact topic authors directly. You can find the topics here and the topic author’s contact information (phone and email address) are at the bottom of each announcement.
There is vast amount of online support and training for SBIR applicants at https://training.defensebusiness.org/.