Bellator LLC deploys proprietary capital into pre-seed and seed stage product, software, and services companies serving U.S. Special Operations Command and the Intelligence Community. No outside investors. No limited partners. No external governance. Every decision is made by the principals — on their timeline.
Every company Bellator considers must satisfy all four prerequisites. These are binary — not factors to be weighed or partially satisfied. A company that meets two of four will not be considered until the third is achieved.
| # | Prerequisite | Verification Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Top Secret Facility Clearance (FCL) — Unsponsored Active DCSA-granted TS FCL. Sponsored or interim clearances do not qualify. | Confirmed via DISS. No open adverse actions. |
| 02 | Tampa, FL Headquarters or Majority of Operations Principal place of business in Tampa, FL or 50%+ of personnel and operations in Tampa / MacDill AFB corridor. | Documented evidence. P.O. Box registrations do not qualify. |
| 03 | Active Prime U.S. Government Contract Award FAR-based, OTA, or SBIR Phase II prime contract. Subcontracts and teaming arrangements do not qualify. | Current and active at time of submission. |
| 04 | QSBS-Eligible Business Domestic C corporation with ≤ $75M in gross assets. ≥80% of assets in an active qualified trade or business. | Meets IRC §1202 requirements at time of investment. |
Within the universe of companies satisfying all four prerequisites, Bellator applies qualitative sector filters to identify companies with the highest mission-criticality and defensible market positions.
Bellator LLC was established in Tampa, Florida by a team of Special Operations veterans and cleared finance professionals who recognized a persistent gap in the early-stage defense technology investment market.
The firm invests exclusively from its own proprietary capital. Decisions are made by the principals, on their timeline, without committee approval or LP reporting requirements. This structure gives portfolio companies something rarely found in institutional defense investing: a counterparty who has operated in the same environments they serve.
The Managing Partner has co-founded, operated at the C-suite level, and served on the boards of two successful defense technology companies — ARMA Global and Iron EagleX, Inc. — from formation through exit. That track record is not incidental to Bellator's investment approach. It is the approach.
About Bellator