About us
The Icebreaker is Canada's defence innovation network, trusted by founders and funders, operators and professionals at DND and the CAF, defence primes, IDEaS, NATO DIANA, and everywhere decisions are made to defend the nation.
Our mission: to make Canada a net exporter of defence technology, by 2030.
How we work:
0600 SITREP: Canada’s first defence tech newsletter. Sign up for our weekly morning brief, to cut through the noise and stay in the know
Investor network: In partnership with ONE9, we have founded and co-chair the Canadian Defence Investor Network (CANDIN) — Canada’s first and only private capital network focused on defence and security
Talent development: In partnership with NordSpace, SkyWatch, Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) at the Department of National Defence (DND), DMZ Toronto and Build Canada, we are hosting Canada’s first defence tech hackathon in Fall 2025
Defence Capability Mapping: The Government of Canada has asked the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) to build a market map of Canadian companies that can help serve Canada’s defence needs. The Icebreaker is pleased to formally partner with CCI to help build this database of Canada’s strategic defence capabilities
Transatlantic Defence Innovation Partnership: The European Defense Tech Hub (EDTH) and The Icebreaker have joined forces to accelerate defence innovation, uniting Europe's leading defence innovation network with Canada's foremost defence tech community. Together, we are creating direct pipelines for startups to access operational trials, investor capital, and procurement across the Atlantic.
Defence Power 50: Canada’s inaugural Defence Power 50 List, determined by industry-leading selection co-chairs, will be the industry benchmark, and share the stories of the most influential leaders and up-and-comers in the defence community who are building the future
Networking and events: Join one of our curated defence tech community meetups, hosted periodically across Canada, to catch up in-person with VCs, founders, operators, defence primes, and the defence-curious; join us at the Tech for Defence Summit, co-hosted by Invest Ottawa and Communitech, where we are a community partner
The Icebreaker in the news
Hundreds of Canadian companies making ‘dual use’ products useful for defence, survey finds (The Globe & Mail, August 2025)
Business Brief: Companies gear up for military spending (The Globe & Mail, July 2025)
Canadian tech industry gears up for big boost in defence spending (The Globe & Mail, June 2025)
Partner with us
The Icebreaker makes executive thought leadership features available in the 0600 SITREP, and in support of our other activities, for a limited number of select partners.
Contact us at readtheicebreaker@substack.com for details.
