I would not fly to StrictlyVC Los Angeles hunting defense tech checks without a story beyond "AI for national security." Events surface investors and operators. They do not replace traction, compliance, and a buyer on contract.
Dress well. Still sell.
What these rooms are good for
Meeting funds that actually invest in your category, hearing how peers talk about procurement and dual-use timelines, and testing whether your one-liner confuses smart people before you burn a month on the wrong investor list.
What they are bad for
Replacing warm intros.
Skipping customer development.
Pretending interest equals a term sheet.
Defense tech has extra filters
Clearance paths, ITAR questions, who signs, pilot length, incumbent vendors, budget cycles.
Your pitch should sound like operations, not a movie trailer.
Work the hallway like sales
Target ten humans.
Follow up with something specific you discussed.
Send proof a week later.
StrictlyVC LA can compress networking if you show up prepared. It cannot fix a defense startup with no buyer and a slide full of flags.
