PORTLAND, ME; August 17, 2026 — First Light Works, a Maine-based joint venture, is forming to bring capital and innovation to the state’s existing defense and geopolitical assets. Maine possesses the essential elements for defense and dual-use innovation success: a deep maritime and shipbuilding industrial base, and other world-class companies; elite advanced composites and additive manufacturing; polar and oceanographic research capacity, growing space and sensing capabilities; entrepreneurs, universities, and government partners.

Maine has the builders and the record. Two missing pieces are: access to capital and early stage derisking through research/validation of commercial opportunities. First Light Works will add these two elements to the National Security Innovation Base - designed to create economic growth and opportunity throughout the state. The First Light Works team plans to tap into a $4.6 billion defense economy encompassing nearly 1,900 manufacturers, and 372 maritime organizations by 1. Researching new commercial opportunities 2. Testing/validation 3. Funding, and 4. Commercialization.

First Light Works leverages Maine’s geographic position as the eastern gateway to the Arctic and North Atlantic, its defense and dual-use innovators, and its physical test infrastructure, and First Light Works access to capital, innovation, and resources.

First Light Works will combine the strengths of Ateklo, Inc., Portland based deep-tech platform focused on human-machine collaboration; Rosc, a thematic venture capital fund investing in the non-discretionary innovation of the US; Maine-based growth investor Gaven Capital, an early investor of SpaceX and two lifelong Mainers, Owen McCarthy founder of MedRhythms who also ran for Governor and Peter DelGreco, CEO of Maine & Co, a privately funded non-profit focused on creating jobs in Maine.

DARPA Comes to Maine — September 3

Ateklo, Inc. and First Light Works have partnered with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). As a first step to begin activating the defense innovation economy of Maine, the partnership is bringing DARPAConnect: Portland, Maine, a full-day event on September 3, 2026, at the Portland Sheraton at Sable Oaks (8:15 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET). Attendees will connect with representatives of all six DARPA technical offices, the Small Business Programs Office, the Contracts Management Office, and teams from across the agency, a rare opportunity for anyone interested in working with DARPA or joining the broader national-security innovation ecosystem. First Light Works encourages Maine operators, entrepreneurs, and investors to register at darpa.mil/events/2026/darpa-connect-portland-maine.

“It is exciting to see such brilliant, game-changing organizations like DARPA and the DIU recognize Maine’s rich heritage of maritime defense innovation and its rapidly growing aerospace cluster of entrepreneurs,” said Kevin Compher, Managing Director of First Light Works and Chief Investment Officer of Ateklo, Inc.

“Through First Light Works, we aim to build the rails for every stage of dual-use technology… starting with Ateklo’s development of distributed autonomy and teaming; Rosc’s early-stage investment vehicles from seed through Series A; and Gaven Capital’s growth expertise. We have also formed a stellar board of entrepreneurs and legendary defense innovators, and look forward to building out the top-tier team of veteran-led advisors and operators.”

About the Managing Director

Kevin Compher is a serial founder and investor with over thirty years of senior leadership, decades in the U.S. Intelligence Agency and more than fifty dual-use, deep-technology investments led at funds like InQTel, IceNine, Interwoven and Midcoast Ventures. As Chief Investment Officer of Ateklo and Chair of First Light Works, he leads the venture’s strategy of pairing company creation with defense-market access from its home ports in Portland and Brunswick.

About The First Light Works Team

In addition to Chairman Kevin Compher, the board will include the following directors: Mark Fuller, Chairman of Rosc and founding Chairman & CEO of Monitor Group (1983–2010); Conor Mack, General Partner at Rosc, who has raised more than $50 million over his career, taught strategy at Boston University, and backed 20+ defense-related portfolio companies; Sonny Ganguly, CEO of Gaven Capital, co-founder of WeddingWire, who helped scale The Knot Worldwide and was an early investor in SpaceX; Owen McCarthy, President & Co-Founder of MedRhythms, which has raised more than $70 million in venture capital into Maine; Justin Hafner, CEO & Co-Founder of Ateklo and Founder of Kinotek, Inc.; and Peter DelGreco, President & CEO of Maine & Co.

Learn more at Ateklo.com or contact press@ateklo.com.