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Program

AWS Defence Accelerator

#defence#uk

A UK cohort for defence and security startups, with AWS credits and access to defence buyers. Alumni include Adarga and PQShield.

AWS Defence Accelerator is for defence and national-security tech startups (UK edition). Credits plus mentoring, varies.

Credits
Varies by cohort
Region
UK
Sector
Defence, security
Format
Cohort, equity-free

Status: may not be running right now

Inactive. Two editions: 'AWS Defence Accelerator' (UK, 2022) and 'AWS European Defence Accelerator' (2023). No 2024-2026 edition was found. No US startup programme named 'AWS Defense Accelerator' exists; the nearest US offer is the separate 'AWS Warfighter Capability Accelerator Initiative' (2026), recorded as its own entry.

At a glance

Decision time
2023: applications closed May 19-26 and the cohort was announced Jul 12, 2023 (about 7 weeks)
Access
Open application
Official application page

01 · Overview

A good fit if you are

  • Dual-use and security startups
  • Teams selling to defence ministries

Not for

  • Consumer apps
  • Teams that can't meet security vetting

Timeline and terms

Application window
2022: applications to Jul 1, 2022. 2023: opened Mar 28, 2023 and closed May 26, 2023 23:59 (Plexal; the AWS launch blog said May 19). Nothing is open now.
Decision time
2023: applications closed May 19-26 and the cohort was announced Jul 12, 2023 (about 7 weeks)
Program length
4 weeks. 2023 timeline: Week Zero Sep 5-7, programme Sep 25 - Oct 19, showcase Nov 8, 2023 at Plexal Stratford (Plexal's key-dates page listed Demo Day as Nov 16).
Where
2022: UK and EMEA (doing business in the UK). 2023: global applicants focused on European defence; the cohort came from the UK, Austria, Portugal, Canada and the US.

Not published. 2022: 'AWS Promotional Credits'. 2023: 'AWS computing credits'.

What changed recently

  1. 2023-11-08

    The 2023 AWS European Defence Accelerator finished with a showcase at Plexal Stratford. No later edition has been announced as of 2026-10-04. Source

02 · Eligibility

Hard eligibility rules

You must

  • Startup with demonstrated commercial traction; the 2022 edition required existing customers and revenue
  • 2022: UK startups, or EMEA startups doing business in the UK
  • 2023: open globally to startups interested in European defence. Solutions for land, air, maritime, space or cyber, in energy resilience, secure information sharing, sensing and decision making, quantum, or cyber resilience.
  • Uses or plans to use AWS

Excluded

  • 2022: startups without existing customers and revenue

Have this ready before you apply

  • Application via the PUBLIC (2022) or Plexal (2023) portal
  • Description of the solution, its defence use case and focus area
  • Evidence of commercial traction (customers, revenue)

03 · How to apply

How to apply

  1. 1

    Check for an open call.

  2. 2

    Apply with your use case.

  3. 3

    Join the cohort if selected.

What catches founders out

  • Some workloads need GovCloud-style controls.
  • Calls are infrequent.

What founders report Show

Summarised from public founder posts. Anecdotal, not official AWS policy.

Gotchas

  • Participants valued warm introductions to defence primes and mentor access
  • One founder warned that defence sales cycles are long, so the programme's commercial impact takes time to show
  • Several reported partnerships formed with other vendors during the programme

04 · Credits & stacking

What the credits cover

Covered

  • AWS services under the AWS Promotional Credit Terms

Not covered

  • Amazon Mechanical Turk
  • AWS Managed Services
  • Ineligible AWS Support (Enterprise, Unified Operations, Enterprise On-Ramp, resold support, Partner-Led Support)
  • AWS Marketplace
  • AWS Professional Services
  • AWS Training
  • AWS Certification
  • Amazon Route 53 domain name registration or transfer
  • Services used for cryptocurrency mining
  • Upfront fees for Savings Plans and Reserved Instances
  • Any other services designated by your AWS contracting entity

Past cohorts Show

202313 startups

Including: PQShield, Blackshark.ai, Hala Systems, Second Front, Telicent

United Kingdom · United States · Austria · Portugal · Canada

Source

202210 startups

Including: Adarga, Encord, Privateer Space, CounterCraft, Earth-i

United Kingdom / EMEA (eligibility was UK startups or EMEA startups doing business in the UK; per-company HQs weren't verified)

Source

05 · Alternatives

If this isn't the right program

Sources

Checked October 2026. AWS can change amounts and rules at any time.

Facts on this page checked against official sources on 2026-10-04.

Questions

Do I need security clearance?

Not to apply, but buyers may require it later.

Prices and credit amounts are estimates and may change. Check AWS for current terms.

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