Roper

What Roper does

Roper Solutions, Inc. is a privately held, 100% US-owned small business headquartered in San Diego, California, that designs and manufactures defense technology for contested and degraded communications environments. The company's flagship product, PATCH, is a waterproof wearable low-observable mesh communications device built for tactical team tracking and secure texting, leveraging proprietary LoRa-based mesh networking with electronic warfare and cyber-attack hardening. Roper holds a granted US utility patent (US 12177778B2) for its secure energy-constrained mesh network, plus a granted US design patent and corresponding international design registrations for the wearable radio device, with additional patents pending on ephemeral ad-hoc network configuration.

The company earns revenue through two primary streams: sale of proprietary defense hardware products (notably PATCH and related RF systems, sensors, and integrated communications systems) and full-lifecycle technical services spanning requirements definition, rapid prototyping, hardware-software integration, test and evaluation, and manufacturing transition. Its go-to-market is direct government sales through formal procurement channels — the company holds an active CAGE Code (84BH1) and Unique Entity ID (KUUFJA4DERU1) and lists Small Business designation among its qualifications. Target customers are concentrated within the US Department of Defense, with Special Operations Forces as the primary segment, followed by Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection, Tactical ISR, and Tactical Mobility (ground, surface, undersea) missions. Technical credibility is reinforced by peer-reviewed publications in Sensors (2021), Springer ADHOC-NOW (2020), and IEEE GIoTS (2020).

Name

Roper

Legal name

Roper Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://builtbyroper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Roper Solutions is a US-owned San Diego defense contractor building low-observable mesh communications hardware and engineering services for Special Operations Forces and other DoD tactical customers operating in contested environments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Communications Technology

NAICS

Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33429)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

C4ISR Systems & Tactical Data Links (IMABAGAE)

Keywords

• Tactical mesh communications
• Defense technology products
• RF systems engineering
• Wearable tactical devices
• Electronic warfare hardening

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Cruces

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Defense Technology Products and Systems: Sale of proprietary defense technology products including communications hardware, sensors, and integrated systems to government and military customers. Revenue derived from product sales, engineering services, and potentially ongoing support/maintenance contracts.
2. Technical Services: Full lifecycle technical services including requirements definition, rapid prototyping, hardware-software integration, test and evaluation, and manufacturing transition. Services are provided across RF systems, datalinks, and navigation systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Roper Solutions designs, builds, and sells proprietary defense technology products and full-lifecycle technical services for sensing, tracking, and connectivity in contested and degraded environments. Its flagship commercial product is PATCH, a waterproof wearable low-observable mesh communications device for tactical team tracking and texting. The company also delivers engineering services spanning requirements definition, rapid prototyping, hardware-software integration, test and evaluation, and manufacturing transition across RF systems, datalinks, and navigation systems hardened against electronic warfare and cyber attack.

Product overview

Roper is a technology company offering defense and tactical communication solutions for contested and degraded environments. The primary product is PATCH, a waterproof wearable mesh communications device for team tracking and texting. The company also provides technical services across the full product lifecycle, with expertise in RF systems, datalinks, navigation systems, and electronic warfare hardening.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PATCH: Low-observable mesh communications device purpose-built for tactical teams. Waterproof wearable for team tracking and texting.

Products and services

• PATCH Wearable Mesh Communications Device

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BAE Systems: Large defense prime with EW, tactical communications, and intelligence programs serving US and allied SOF. Competes indirectly and is a potential large-program partner for small businesses like Roper.
• L3Harris Technologies: Major incumbent across tactical radios, EW, and integrated communications for SOF and conventional forces. Competes as a prime at a much broader scale than Roper and is a likely prime-contractor counterpart.
• Thales Group: Global defense incumbent with tactical communications, EW, and ISR datalink offerings. Broad portfolio spans Roper's contested-environment communications niche as part of a wider solution set.
• Motorola Solutions: Dominant supplier of land mobile radios and mission-critical communications to defense, federal, and public safety. Competes broadly with PATCH-class offerings through its tactical and APX lines.

Direct peers

• Persistent Systems: Sells the MPU5 mobile mesh networking radio to DoD, SOF, and first responders. Competes head-to-head with PATCH-class tactical mesh devices and shares the contested-environment value proposition.
• Domo Tactical Communications (DTC): Supplies tactical wireless communications, mesh, and datalink systems to defense and special operations customers globally. Direct overlap with Roper's RF/datalink/navigation stack.
• goTenna: Builds low-power mesh communications devices (Pro, Pro X) for off-grid tactical, public safety, and consumer use. Highly comparable on form factor and mesh architecture to PATCH.
• Silvus Technologies: Develops MIMO mesh radios (StreamCaster) used by US SOF and allied tactical units for contested-environment communications. Closest functional overlap with Roper's PATCH and secure LoRa mesh stack.

Emerging players

• Doodle Labs: Designs tactical mesh networking radio modules integrated into unmanned systems and soldier-worn gear. Comparable on RF mesh IP and tactical customer overlap with Roper.

Regional players

• INVISIO: European-headquartered specialist in tactical communications and hearing-protection headsets for SOF and defense. Comparable on tactical comms end-user focus, with geographic complement rather than direct US overlap.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/builtbyroper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Roper