Hard Tech
WHAT IS HARD TECH?
Companies and innovations that are rooted in complex physical hardware and deep scientific breakthroughs, shaping aerospace, defense, and manufacturing, as an all-in-one effort to strengthen national security.
Unlike software-driven or “soft tech” solutions, Hard Tech innovations are characterized by:
Deep technical complexity (e.g., physics, chemistry, engineering)
Capital intensity (labs, equipment, prototyping, manufacturing)
Long development cycles and higher barriers to entry
Tangible, real-world outputs (hardware systems, materials, energy systems, etc.)
Definition
Hard Tech: Science and engineering-driven technologies that produce physical-world systems and capabilities
Soft Tech: Software-driven technologies that primarily operate in digital environments