Integrate Secures $17M Series A to Modernize Defense Sector Project Management Infrastructure

Integrate, a specialized collaboration platform for defense and government contract management, has successfully closed a $17 million Series A funding round led by FPV Ventures. The Seattle-based startup addresses critical inefficiencies in public-private sector collaboration on classified defense projects.

Founded in early 2022 by John Conafay, a US Air Force veteran with extensive experience in aerospace business development at companies including Spire, Astranis, and ABL Space Systems, Integrate emerged from a persistent operational challenge: the lack of secure, compliant project management solutions capable of meeting stringent government security requirements.

Throughout his career, Conafay observed that collaboration on government contracts remained mired in inefficient workflows, forcing teams to rely on manual PDF and Excel file exchanges. Traditional project management platforms such as Atlassian Jira and Asana failed to meet the security standards mandated by federal agencies, creating significant bottlenecks in defense contracting operations.

Platform Architecture and Capabilities

Integrate's platform is purpose-built to enable secure, multi-entity collaboration between private contractors, the US Department of Defense, and other government agencies on classified projects. The system's architecture allows different organizations to simultaneously work on complex project schedules while maintaining granular access controls that keep sensitive information compartmentalized from unauthorized participants.

According to Conafay, the platform is engineered to coordinate large-scale, multi-year defense programs comparable in complexity to the F-35 Lightning II program or the James Webb Space Telescope project, where thousands of partners require continuous synchronization.

"If you don't build something from the ground up with government requirements, you can't really go back and re-architect software that exists for government purposes," Conafay explained, highlighting the technical moat the company has established.

Market Validation and Government Adoption

In a significant validation of its technology, Integrate secured a $25 million, five-year contract from the US Space Force in 2023. Current implementations include coordination of satellite deployments, with the Space Force utilizing the platform to manage tens of satellites across dozens of missions on single launch vehicles.

While Conafay maintained operational security regarding specific customer details, he confirmed the platform is actively supporting large rocket deployment operations for the Space Force, managing coordination challenges of considerable technical complexity.

Investment Rationale and Market Dynamics

Wesley Chan, co-founder and managing partner at FPV Ventures, led the Series A round based on Integrate's solution to a substantial market pain point affecting both government agencies and their private sector partners. Chan, known for early-stage investments in unicorns including Canva, Robinhood, and Plaid, identified the shifting sentiment within the technology sector regarding defense contracting.

The tech industry's historical reluctance to engage with the Department of Defense has diminished following geopolitical shifts, particularly Russia's invasion of Ukraine and evolving perceptions of China as a strategic competitor. This cultural transformation has opened new market opportunities for defense-focused technology solutions.

Growth Strategy and Market Expansion

Integrate's expansion roadmap targets additional branches of the US military, including the Navy, Army, and intelligence community, as well as the defense contractor ecosystem serving these agencies. The company's ground-up security architecture positions it as a technically differentiated solution in an increasingly competitive market where civilian project management vendors may seek to enter the defense sector.

Sources:
US Space Force Contract Announcement