In a nondescript distribution center in Bellport, New York, a new kind of checkpoint is coming online. Its target is not people or cargo, but the microscopic semiconductors that power everything from military hardware to industrial machinery. The threat it screens for is not physical damage, but a more insidious flaw: counterfeit, substituted, or defective parts that can slip into the global supply chain. For defense contractors and manufacturers, the failure of a single component can mean the failure of an entire system, a risk that Seattle-based Chiplytics is building a business to mitigate [GeekWire, October 2026].
Founded in 2022, the company provides a hardware and software platform that authenticates and quality-screens electronic components before they are assembled into critical equipment. Its process, which combines licensed technology from Sandia National Laboratories with automated visual inspection, aims to bring a documented, standardized layer of verification to a sourcing process often plagued by uncertainty [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. The recent close of a $4.5 million seed round, anchored by Scout Ventures and Waypoint Ventures, signals investor belief that this is a problem worth solving with more than manual checks [Business Wire, October 2026].
A Wedge of Trust in a Fragmented Market
Chiplytics’ core offering is its “Certified Authentic” program. A customer can submit a part for inspection, where the company’s automated system captures both a high-resolution image and a unique electrical signature from the component. The electrical test, known as Power Spectrum Analysis, is a fast, non-invasive technique licensed from Sandia that captures a multi-pin frequency response to reveal subtle differences between components [sbir.gov]. This data is then analyzed against known specifications and historical baselines to flag parts that are counterfeit, substituted, inconsistent, or defective [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF].
The company’s methods are explicitly aligned with AS6171, the aerospace standard for testing suspect counterfeit parts, a deliberate nod to the rigor required by its target customers in defense and critical infrastructure [Melville Chamber of Commerce]. By producing documented verification results, Chiplytics isn’t just selling a test, it’s selling an audit trail. This wedge of trust is crucial in a market reshaped by pandemic-era shortages, where supply chains stretched and the risk of receiving substandard or fraudulent components increased significantly [GeekWire, October 2026].
The Team and Its Government-Tech Pedigree
The founding team blends hardware entrepreneurship with national security experience, a combination well-suited to the problem. CEO Steven Dourmashkin is a repeat founder, having previously co-founded and led Specdrums, a consumer electronics startup [news.cornell.edu, July 2018]. Co-founder Stephen DiBartolomeo brings a government-facing perspective as a U.S. Navy veteran and former Cryptologic Warfare Officer at the National Security Agency, and he previously worked as an associate at lead investor Scout Ventures [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF]. CTO Connor Dempsey, who holds engineering degrees from Cornell, recently presented on counterfeit prevention at the GOMACTech conference, underscoring the team’s engagement with the defense technical community [Colin Bacon - LinkedIn].
This background has helped the company navigate the complex pathway for dual-use technologies. Its early funding included non-dilutive grants sourced through Sandia and the U.S. Army, and it has since secured more substantial government backing [Scout Ventures, May 2022]. The company’s traction is best illustrated by its mix of commercial and government validation.
2022 Initial Seed | 0.35 | M USD
2022 Non-Dilutive Grant | 0.05 | M USD
2026 Seed + TACFI Award | 4.5 | M USD
Traction Beyond Venture Capital
The $4.5 million announced in October 2026 is itself a hybrid instrument. It includes $2.5 million in traditional seed financing and a $2 million Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) award from the U.S. Air Force [Business Wire, October 2026]. This follows a separate, earlier United States Air Force Phase II STTR contract worth $1.8 million, awarded to Chiplytics and research partner CALCE [Riley Burdette - LinkedIn]. Government contracts of this nature are not just revenue, they are potent signals of technical merit and strategic alignment for a startup in the defense-tech arena.
Operationally, the capital is funding the expansion of the company’s Bellport laboratory, which opened inside a Quality King distribution center. The lab had hired two full-time employees by late 2026, with plans to hire up to six more within a year, indicating a shift from R&D toward scaled operations [Long Island Business News, October 2026]. The company is also actively recruiting for key roles, including a VP of Sales and Lead Test Engineer, pointing to a planned commercial push [PERPLEXITY SONAR PRO BRIEF].
Where the Road Gets Hard
The ambition is clear, but the path to becoming a default quality gatekeeper is lined with competitive and operational challenges. While no direct competitors are named in public sources, the landscape is not empty. The company must convince cost-conscious procurement officers to add a new verification step and associated fee to their workflow. Its answer appears to be a focus on the highest-risk, highest-consequence components where the cost of failure dwarfs the cost of inspection.
- Technical defensibility. The company’s moat is built on its licensed Sandia technology and its integration of electrical and visual inspection aligned with industry standards like AS6171. This is a regulatory and technical barrier, not just a software feature.
- Sales motion complexity. Selling into defense primes and regulated manufacturers involves long cycles and stringent qualification processes. The hiring of a VP of Sales is a direct, necessary response to this challenge.
- Scale economics. Automated inspection requires significant capital expenditure for hardware. The seed funding and lab expansion are bets that the company can achieve enough throughput to make the unit economics work.
The company’s most plausible counter to these risks is its early government patronage. The Air Force contracts and TACFI award provide not just capital, but also a powerful reference customer and a stamp of technical approval that can accelerate commercial conversations.
The Standard of Care Today
For engineers procuring components for a satellite or a missile system today, the standard of care is often a fraught combination of trusted distributors, manual inspection, and hope. Suspect parts may be subjected to destructive physical analysis, a slow and costly process, or they may be identified only after they fail in the field. The human and financial cost of a failure in a critical defense system is incalculable, measured in more than dollars. Chiplytics is betting that its automated, documented process can become a new standard, a required checkpoint before a chip is soldered into a circuit board destined for a place where failure is not an option. The next twelve months will be about proving that the Bellport lab can transition from a promising facility to a reliable, high-volume hub that convinces both the Air Force and its first major commercial customers that this filter is essential. The patient population, in this case, is every system that cannot afford to fail, and the disease state is a supply chain infection of counterfeit and defective parts. The treatment is verification, and Chiplytics is building the clinic.
Sources
- [Business Wire, October 2026] Chiplytics Secures $4.5M to Bring Resiliency to US Electronics Supply Chain | https://chiplytics.com/pr
- [GeekWire, October 2026] Seattle startup Chiplytics lands $4.5M to catch fake and flawed chips before they hit the market | https://www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle-startup-chiplytics-lands-4-5m-to-catch-fake-and-flawed-chips-before-they-hit-the-market/
- [Scout Ventures, May 2022] Meet Chiplytics: the Latest Startup to Emerge from Scout's Incubator Program | https://www.scout.vc/media/meet-chiplytics-the-latest-startup-to-emerge-from-scouts-incubator-program
- [sbir.gov] Description of Power Spectrum Analysis technology | https://sbir.gov
- [Riley Burdette - LinkedIn] Note on Air Force Phase II STTR contract | https://www.linkedin.com/in/riley-burdette-a46233327/
- [Colin Bacon - LinkedIn] Note on Connor Dempsey's GOMACTech presentation | https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-bacon-aba82017a/