Interim CEO for Defense Tech

Defense tech companies need an interim CEO who can carry procurement conversations with ministries, prime contractors, and NATO buyers, while running an engineering-heavy P&L on a program cadence. It is a different job from consumer or SaaS leadership, and the wrong hire loses years.

What the role owns

Procurement engagement with ministries and primes
Program milestones, not just quarterly numbers
Export controls and dual-use compliance
Capital raising in a defense-savvy investor base
Engineering and program leadership, not sales-led motion

Why generalist CEOs struggle

Defense sales cycles are long, contract structures are non-linear, and buyers care about survivability and integration, not features. A CEO from consumer or SaaS spends the first six months learning that language while cash runs out.

When to bring one in

Founder-led company reaching a first serious program
Post-Series B scaleup entering NATO customers
Portfolio company after a defense-focused acquisition
Company pivoting into dual-use from an adjacent sector

https://niklaslindahl.com/guides/interim-ceo-for-defense-tech