Pison Technology Drops Sachem Strategies After Three-Year Lobbying Run
A Defense-Tech Startup Cuts Its Only K Street Lifeline
Pison Technology Inc., a Boston-based neural-interface startup with deep ties to the Pentagon, has ended its lobbying relationship with Sachem Strategies LLC, according to an LDA termination filing dated December 30, 2024. The Sachem Strategies disclosure shows a final quarterly payment of $30,000. Pison Technology has not, as of available filings, hired a replacement firm — leaving the company with zero registered lobbying activity heading into 2026.
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Why It Matters
A Shrinking Contract That Finally Went to Zero
The relationship between Pison Technology and Sachem Strategies dates back to August 2021, when the firm registered to lobby on defense procurement and budget issues for the AI wearable-tech company. Over the life of the engagement, Pison paid Sachem a total of roughly $430,000.
But the spending trajectory tells the real story. Pison Technology lobbying expenditures peaked in 2022 at $170,000, dropped to $130,000 in 2023, and fell again to $90,000 in 2024. The quarterly payments in the final year ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 — a far cry from the $60,000 peak quarter in mid-2022.
This lobbying disclosure termination removes what appears to be Pison's only registered advocacy presence in Washington. A review of all recent lobbying disclosures tied to Pison Technology Inc. shows no other firms were hired to do similar work. The company enters 2026 with no lobbyists on retainer.
What It Means for Sachem Strategies
Sachem Strategies is a small firm — records indicate approximately 11 clients in its portfolio. Losing a client that was paying $90,000 annually (and declining) is not catastrophic, but for a boutique operation, every account matters. The firm's sole lobbyist on the Pison account, Nathaniel Y. Walton, handled all activity throughout the engagement. Available records show no documented congressional staffer experience for Walton.
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Broader Context
The Legislative Work Was Already Done
The bills Sachem lobbied on for Pison were enacted years ago. In Q4 2021, the firm targeted four pieces of legislation:
- HR 4350 and S 1605 — the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, signed into law December 2021
- HR 4432 and S 3023 — the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY2022, enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act in March 2022
After 2021, the lobbying disclosures stopped citing specific bills. Quarterly filings from 2022 through 2025 described the work in general terms: "issues related to defense procurement" and "implementation of provisions of CHIPS Act as enacted in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2021."
The CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law in August 2022. Subsequent NDAA cycles through FY2025 have all been enacted. In short, the legislative objectives that originally justified the lobbying engagement had largely been achieved.
No Congressional Heat
A search of congressional hearings over the past year turned up no mentions of Pison Technology Inc. Similarly, a review of member communications — press releases, floor statements, social media — found no references to the company, its technology, or the specific policy areas it lobbied on.
There is no evidence in the public record that congressional scrutiny played any role in the termination.
A Company Under Financial Pressure
Pison Technology is a venture-backed startup that has raised approximately $25.2 million in total funding, including a $5.35 million round from Samsung Ventures reported in January 2025. The company has secured over $19.8 million in federal contracts and grants from the Air Force, Navy, Special Operations Command, NASA, and other agencies. Its investors include In-Q-Tel, the CIA's venture capital arm, and Decisive Point, a defense-focused fund.
But there are signs of financial strain. A 2025 lawsuit — Catherine Van Evans v. Pison Technology — alleges 12 unpaid invoices from June 2024 through May 2025 totaling $131,145. For a company with 50-80 employees and no publicly disclosed revenue, a steadily declining lobbying budget and allegations of unpaid bills paint a picture of a startup watching its cash closely.
The Administration Changed
The termination date — December 30, 2024 — fell one day before the calendar turned on the final year of the Biden administration. Companies routinely reassess their lobbying representation during presidential transitions, particularly when their advocacy needs are concentrated in the executive branch. Pison's lobbying had already shifted from securing statutory language to navigating defense procurement processes — work that depends heavily on relationships with agency officials and political appointees rather than members of Congress.
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Bottom Line
No Replacement Firm in Sight
As of the most recent available filings, Pison Technology Inc. has not retained a new lobbying firm. There is no registered lobbying activity for the company heading into 2026. That means the company — which depends on Pentagon contracts for a significant share of its revenue — is navigating a new administration's defense procurement landscape without a registered advocate on Capitol Hill or K Street.
Whether Pison eventually hires a new firm with stronger ties to the current administration remains to be seen. But the data available today shows a clean break: a three-and-a-half-year engagement that wound down gradually, with spending declining each year until the lobbying disclosure termination made it official.
For Sachem Strategies, the loss of Pison is one fewer defense-tech client in a portfolio that was already small. For Pison Technology, it's one fewer expense on the books — at a time when, based on the available evidence, the company appears to need every dollar it can hold onto.