Gentle Weapons Selected for Fuse Ventures Phoenix 007 Accelerator
Arizona company will advance software infrastructure for unmanned systems toward defense missions through the 10-week program
Phoenix, AZ - September 18, 2026 - Gentle Weapons, a defense software infrastructure company, announced it has been selected for Phoenix 007, the Fuse Ventures accelerator cohort, a 10-week program that helps companies scale across commercial and defense markets.
Gentle Weapons builds software infrastructure for unmanned systems. Autonomy teams build the capability; Gentle Weapons makes it deployable. The stack has three layers: a hardened Linux distribution that carries product security onto the vehicle, a private network that lets systems communicate with each other, and a deployment layer that ships software to 10 or 10,000 units in any environment, connected or airgapped.
Today most defense companies build those three layers themselves, and it costs them precious time and engineering effort. Building it in-house is a hiring decision, not a licensing one, and every month spent on it is a month not spent on the capability the customer is actually buying.
The Fuse program pairs companies with buyers on both sides of the dual-use line. For Gentle Weapons, that means three things: introductions to the government stakeholders who set requirements for deployed autonomy, a clearer path through defense acquisition, and commercial customers whose deployment schedules keep the roadmap honest.
The timing is deliberate. Federal spend is shifting toward smaller, faster companies, and deployable hardware is finally capable enough that the software underneath it is the constraint. Gentle Weapons just launched V1 earlier this week and is working on pilots with early partners.
At the end of the program, cohort companies will present to investors, defense stakeholders, and commercial partners.
About Gentle Weapons: Gentle Weapons is an American technology company building software infrastructure for unmanned systems: a hardened operating system, a private network for system-to-system communication, and software deployment at scale. The company announced its first round of funding led by Antler Ventures in July 2026 and is part of the NVIDIA Inception Program. https://gentleweapons.com/
About Fuse Ventures: Fuse Ventures is a dual-use innovation platform for startups scaling across commercial and defense markets. Its accelerator programs connect founders with venture capital and government mission demand. https://fuseventures.com/
Media Inquiries: media@gentleweapons.com
