When NATO set out to identify the most promising defence innovations across the Alliance, it faced no shortage of contenders. More than 2,600 proposals were submitted for the 2025 cohort of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) Programme. Out of that field, only 73 companies were chosen. And now, from that select group, just 15—including Canadian start-up TACTIQL—have been advanced to Phase 2.

For TACTIQL, based in Ottawa, the milestone is more than a recognition of potential—it is a direct opportunity to shape the Alliance’s technological edge in coalition operations.

James Appathurai, Managing Director of NATO DIANA, commented: “DIANA is NATO’s innovation engine. We are finding the most innovative technologies from the market; we are helping these talented innovators fine-tune their technologies and grow their businesses; and we are connecting the companies to end users so that NATO defence ministries can adopt new technologies at the speed of relevance, including through DIANA’s Rapid Adoption Service.”

Breaking Through Integration Barriers

At the heart of TACTIQL’s success is FULCRUM, an innovation already validated by the Canadian Armed Forces at Technology Readiness Level 9. The system is designed to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in modern defence: interoperability.

“DIANA offers a unique opportunity for TACTIQL to work with Canada’s allies to streamline how we work together as an alliance. We built FULCRUM for the Canadian Armed Forces leveraging our experience as veterans, and we are ready to work with our allies and partners to strengthen our collective defence,” said Michael Nelson, TACTIQL’s Founder and CEO.

Today, the process of connecting airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) sensors with command and control applications often relies on voice relays and manual data entry. FULCRUM changes that equation. By enabling sensor-agnostic, digital interoperability, the platform reduces integration complexity, accelerates onboarding of new sensors, and ensures mission-critical information can flow freely across allied forces.

The approach is agnostic to hardware, software, and communications networks, meaning it can adapt to the wide variety of systems NATO nations deploy. In practice, that means faster decisions in the battlespace and greater coalition effectiveness.

What Phase 2 Means

Advancing into Phase 2 of DIANA brings with it concrete advantages. TACTIQL will receive:

  • Additional funding to refine and deploy its innovation.
  • Access to NATO test centres where FULCRUM can be validated in real-world scenarios.
  • Tailored support through the Rapid Adoption Service, aimed at accelerating deployment across the Alliance.

Already, FULCRUM is proving itself in NATO environments. The technology is being demonstrated during Exercise REPMUS in Portugal and Exercise Bold Quest in the United States, where it is showing its ability to solve pressing interoperability challenges on a coalition scale.

Looking Ahead

For NATO, seamless data sharing between nations is not simply a technological preference—it is a strategic necessity. For TACTIQL, the opportunity to contribute to that mission at scale is both an achievement and a responsibility.

As Phase 2 unfolds, the company will be working closely with allied nations and NATO’s defence industrial base to deliver FULCRUM into operational service. The goal is clear: to ensure soldiers, sailors, and aviators across the Alliance can access and act on information faster, more securely, and with greater coordination than ever before.

In an era defined by rapidly evolving threats and technologies, TACTIQL’s journey with DIANA underscores how Canadian innovation is playing a pivotal role in strengthening the security of the transatlantic alliance.