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Dominion Dynamics: Forging the future of interoperable, attritable systems for Arctic and Allied defense

Bessemer Venture Partners co-leads Dominion Dynamics’ $20M CAD Seed to build the Arctic autonomy stack for NATO’s most strategically exposed operating environment.

Janelle Teng WadeByron DeeterBar Weiner

Janelle Teng Wade, Byron Deeter & Bar Weiner

Published on Jan 19, 2026

As geopolitical flashpoints grow exponentially around the globe, new theaters of strategic concern are rapidly coming into focus. In particular, Arctic sovereignty has emerged as one of the defining geopolitical flashpoints of recent years, shaped by the convergence of multiple powerful forces. Climate change is rapidly transforming the region from a remote frontier into a contested domain, and control over the Arctic increasingly intersects with supply chain security, energy independence, and strategic deterrence. 

New technologies necessary for extreme operating conditions

With the Arctic opening up to greater commercial and military activity, sovereignty is no longer a passive geographic claim but an active responsibility—requiring persistent presence and resilient infrastructure. In particular, these vectors intersect directly with Canada’s broader security priorities, from protecting critical supply chains and northern communities to strengthening continental defense with NATO allies.

Canada’s ability to assert sovereignty in the High North depends not only on presence and surveillance but on the capacity to design, produce, and sustain critical systems in some of the most austere and remote environments in the world. Building reliable tech that is ruggedized and able to operate year-round in extreme Arctic environments is non-trivial, and there are limited options available. Furthermore, requirements around cost, scalability, and deployability are often not met by existing solutions.

Defining the Arctic autonomy stack for Canadian sovereignty and the collective security of NATO

Dominion Dynamics’ CEO and founder, Eliot Pence, is no stranger to the need for technologies that strengthen NATO’s strategic autonomy. Eliot previously led global growth at Anduril Industries, joining as one of the company’s very first business development hires and playing a central role in building it to be one of NATO’s most consequential defense technology companies. As the former Chief Business Officer at Osmo and Cambium Biomaterials, Eliot is also familiar with translating cutting-edge technologies into applied, deployable platforms. 

“We’re on a mission to provide allied forces with interoperable, rapidly deployable, software-defined systems, purpose-built for NATO’s most strategically exposed operating environment.” — Eliot Pence, Dominion Dynamics CEO and founder

These experiences were key accelerants in inspiring Eliot to found Dominion Dynamics and go after a mission-critical, generational opportunity. Headquartered in Ottawa, Dominion Dynamics aims to modernize Canadian and NATO security capabilities with a suite of AI and advanced technology products purpose-built for extreme operating conditions. Dominion’s vision is to provide the persistent monitoring and data interoperability required not just for Canadian sovereignty, but for the collective security of the NATO alliance. 

The company is getting started by building the “Arctic autonomy stack”—a fusion of sensing, autonomy, and networked platforms designed for NATO’s most strategically exposed operating environment. These offerings are modular and scalable, allowing for rapid deployment that is affordable enough to be risked.

As pressure in the High North intensifies, Canada’s capacity to assert and sustain Arctic sovereignty is defined not just for national resilience, but for NATO security as a whole. Dominion Dynamics will be a force multiplier on this front. This is why we’re honored to join forces with co-leads Georgian Partners and Canadian pension capital British Columbia Investment Management Corporation to support Eliot and the Dominion Dynamics team as they redefine allied defense and build the next-generation command and control in the Arctic.

Contributors

Janelle Teng Wade

Janelle Teng Wade

Partner

Janelle Teng Wade is a partner at Bessemer where she leads the firm’s early-stage investment roadmaps in AI/ML, data infrastructure, developer platforms, and defense tech. She is passionate about supporting highly technical teams and founders from research backgrounds pushing on the technological frontier.

Before joining Bessemer, Janelle was a product manager at SalesforceIQ (formerly RelateIQ) where she led mobile development for Salesforce Inbox and was one of the inventors of Einstein Email Insights. She began her career as a business analyst at McKinsey and Company.

A science enthusiast at heart, Janelle studied biology and economics at Stanford University, where she graduated with academic distinction and departmental honors. She also earned an MBA at Harvard Business School. Outside of work, you can find Janelle skiing, hiking, or writing her Substack.

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Byron Deeter

Byron Deeter

Partner

Byron Deeter is a leading investor in AI, Cloud, Frontier Technology, and the Business of Sports. He co-authored Bessemer’s iconic 10 Laws of Cloud Computing, the Bessemer Forbes Cloud 100, the BVP Nasdaq Emerging Cloud Index, and Bessemer’s STRIVE program for executive health and wellness. Byron works closely alongside many of the best founders in the cloud world, with 26 of Byron’s investments currently valued above $1 billion each, including 13 IPOs and counting.

Byron first raised a Series A with Bessemer back in 2000, as CEO and founder of Trigo Technologies. His company grew to be one of the first global SaaS companies, reaching profitability and was successfully sold to IBM. Byron foresaw that cloud computing would not only change the way people built new technologies but also how The Cloud would systematically run the world. In 2005, Byron returned to Bessemer, this time to help lead the firm’s global cloud practice.

Byron graduated with honors from The University of California, Berkeley, where he met his then college sweetheart and now wife. Byron is a perennial Midas List investor, past Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, partner/owner of the San Francisco 49ers and Leeds United, as well as an active board member/advisor to numerous causes including the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation, U.C. Berkeley Foundation, Pledge 1% and Cal Rugby. Although he’s a four-time Rugby Collegiate National Champion and serial Ironman finisher, he’s largely converted to leisure sports of golf, wake surfing, and skiing with his wife and three children.

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Bar Weiner

Bar Weiner

Investor

Bar Weiner is an investor in Bessemer’s New York City office, where he focuses on artificial intelligence, enterprise software applications, infrastructure and security.

Before joining Bessemer, Bar worked as an AI researcher and software engineer at Houzz and InfluxData, and later founded a generative AI procurement and RFP automation startup. He also held venture investing roles at Battery Ventures, the SoftBank Vision Fund and S32, and has been an active angel investor.

Bar graduated from Stanford University with both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science, specializing in artificial intelligence. At Stanford, he led Cardinal Ventures, the university’s largest startup accelerator, and served as a teaching assistant for several courses at the Graduate School of Business and the School of Engineering.

Outside work, he enjoys hiking, snowboarding, surfing, spending time with his dog and trying new restaurants.

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Dominion Dynamics: Forging the future of interoperable, attritable systems for Arctic and Allied defense | Bessemer Venture Partners