NODA AI Drops Frontera Group, Hires DLA Piper and Washington Navigators for Defense AI Lobbying
A defense AI startup ended its relationship with a small Miami lobbying shop after one quarter of substantive work — and immediately brought on two larger firms.
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NODA AI Inc., a venture-backed defense technology startup focused on autonomous systems orchestration, filed an LDA termination ending its lobbying relationship with Frontera Group LLC, a small defense-focused firm based in Miami. The lobbying disclosure termination, effective October 31, 2025, came after NODA AI paid Frontera Group just $27,500 across two quarters of work.
The same week the Frontera Group lobbying relationship ended, NODA AI registered two new firms: DLA Piper LLP, one of the largest law and lobbying operations in Washington, and Washington Navigators LLC, a firm with a four-lobbyist team focused on defense and appropriations.
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Why It Matters
A Small Firm Loses a Meaningful Client
Frontera Group is a small operation — 2 to 10 employees, with Thomas Williams as its sole registered lobbyist. According to disclosure records, the firm reported just $65,000 in total lobbying income in 2025 across three clients. NODA AI's $27,500 accounted for roughly 42% of that total. The lobbying deregistration in 2026 leaves Frontera Group with a noticeably thinner client roster.
For NODA AI, the spend was modest. The Austin-based company, founded in 2024, has raised approximately $4 million in venture funding from investors including Crosslink Capital, Draper Associates, and Outlander VC. It employs between 51 and 200 people and is actively hiring for government sales and proposal writing roles.
NODA AI Immediately Hired Replacements
The timing is telling. NODA AI's registration with DLA Piper was signed October 26, 2025 — five days before the Frontera Group termination date. Washington Navigators registered the same day the termination took effect: October 31, 2025.
In Q4 2025 alone, NODA AI lobbying expenditures through the two new firms totaled $52,000 — $40,000 to DLA Piper and $12,000 to Washington Navigators. That's nearly double what the company spent on Frontera Group over its entire engagement.
Both new firms are lobbying on the same core issue: defense applications of artificial intelligence and federal funding tied to national security. Washington Navigators' registration additionally lists Science/Technology and Budget/Appropriations as issue areas, along with specific references to DOD funding opportunities and partnerships with the Armed Services Committees.
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Broader Context
The Bill That Went Nowhere
Frontera Group's NODA AI lobbying focused on H.R. 8774, the Defense Appropriations Act for FY2025. The bill passed the House in June 2024 on a 217–198 vote but never advanced through the Senate. FY2025 defense spending was instead funded through a series of continuing resolutions, culminating in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, signed March 15, 2025.
That outcome was unfavorable for companies like NODA AI. A full-year continuing resolution freezes spending at prior-year levels and generally does not fund new-start programs. Any specific appropriations language or set-asides NODA AI may have been seeking through H.R. 8774 would not have survived the CR process. Pentagon RDT&E spending under the CR landed at roughly $141 billion — about $2 billion less than requested and $7 billion below FY2024 levels.
With the FY2025 cycle closed, the legislative vehicle Frontera Group was hired to work is now moot. Any future advocacy would need to target FY2026 appropriations.
The Competitive Landscape for Defense AI
The Pentagon has been aggressively expanding its commercial AI partnerships, but the largest contracts have gone to frontier AI companies. Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI each received contracts of up to $200 million from the Chief Digital and AI Office in 2025. NODA AI occupies a different niche — autonomous fleet orchestration rather than large language models — but the overall procurement environment has tilted toward bigger players with established relationships.
Much of the current action in defense AI procurement is happening through executive-branch channels, particularly the CDAO and the Defense Innovation Unit, rather than through congressional appropriations earmarks. That dynamic may reduce the value of a purely Capitol Hill-focused lobbying approach.
No Congressional Mentions
There are no records of NODA AI being mentioned in congressional hearings or member communications over the past year. The company's lobbying activity did not generate visible congressional attention in the public record.
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The LDA Termination and What Comes Next
Who NODA AI Hired — and What They Bring
DLA Piper is fielding two lobbyists on the NODA AI account: Anthony Pasquale Samp and Michael D. Fleischman. DLA Piper is a global law firm with a large government affairs practice and deep relationships across federal agencies and congressional committees. At $40,000 for a single quarter, the firm is billing NODA AI at a rate that exceeds Frontera Group's entire engagement.
Washington Navigators has assigned four lobbyists: Grady Bourn, William C. Bates, A. Scott Sudduth, and Sharon Courtney. The firm's registration specifically references DOD funding opportunities and partnerships with the Armed Services Committees — a more targeted focus than Frontera Group's broader defense appropriations work.
No congressional staffer experience records were found in available data for any of the lobbyists across all three firms, including those at Frontera Group.
The Numbers
| Firm | Period | Amount | Status |
|------|--------|--------|--------|
| Frontera Group LLC | Q1–Q3 2025 | $27,500 | Terminated |
| DLA Piper LLP | Q4 2025 | $40,000 | Active |
| Washington Navigators LLC | Q4 2025 | $12,000 | Active |
Total NODA AI lobbying spend (2025): $79,500
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Bottom Line
NODA AI Inc. is an early-stage defense startup that tried a small lobbying shop, spent modestly, and moved on after the legislative vehicle it was targeting died in the Senate. The company is now spending more — and spreading its bets across two firms with larger footprints. The FY2025 appropriations fight is over. The FY2026 cycle is where the action moves, and NODA AI appears to be gearing up for it with more firepower on K Street.