Nick Ripplinger didn’t plan to become an entrepreneur. As a teenager, he said, he was more interested in having fun than thinking about the future. So, at 17, looking for structure, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. That decision would eventually lead him from combat zones in the Middle East to the cutting edge of defense technology in southwest Ohio.
Ripplinger founded Battle Sight Technologies, a Dayton-area startup that transforms government research into products that first responders and law enforcement can use.
Ripplinger’s military career eventually took him to Europe, where he worked on protective service operations for NATO.
“I honestly just had the time of my life running around Europe,” he said. “But I knew I wanted to keep serving somehow, even after I took off the uniform.”
After leaving the Army, Ripplinger spent several years working in defense contracting and manufacturing. He said it left him burned out and missing the sense of mission that had defined his time in uniform.
Everything shifted when a mentor offered him a different perspective.
“You don’t need to invent the next great idea,” Ripplinger remembered him saying. “You already know how to run the business. Look at what’s out there.”
That advice led Ripplinger to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He began exploring patents developed by military scientists, technologies that had potential but weren’t yet available in the commercial market.
In 2016, he launched Battle Sight Technologies, and one of the first patents that caught Ripplinger’s eye was for an infrared crayon, a tool designed for use in low-light combat zones. The device allowed soldiers to leave glowing marks on surfaces, visible only through night vision goggles.
“You can draw a message, an arrow, anything you need, and it lights up." Ripplinger said, "No batteries, no switches, just simple and reliable.”
But turning that military concept into a working product took nearly eight years. The team had to rebuild the chemistry from scratch, refining it until it could survive field use in harsh environments.
Crayons and other tools developed by Battle Sight are now used by the military, law enforcement, and emergency responders worldwide.
The biggest thing the military gave me is that problem-solving mindsetNick Ripplinger
Ripplinger said his time in the Army taught him more than tactical skills. It taught him how to lead under pressure and solve problems.
“The biggest thing the military gave me is that problem-solving mindset,” he said. “When things go wrong—and they always do—you don’t panic. You figure it out. You keep people safe.”
That mindset also helped him build the kind of company culture he missed after leaving the service.
“We try to keep that sense of purpose,” he said. “Not the chain of command or the hierarchy—but the community. The mission. That’s what veterans miss the most.”
Ripplinger’s business model is unusual in the startup world. Rather than designing new products from scratch, he starts with military R&D—research often funded by taxpayers—and asks: Can this be used to save lives in the field for first responders?
Today, Battle Sight Technologies sells products to federal agencies, state police departments, and international partners.
Ripplinger has also become a mentor, encouraging other veterans to think of entrepreneurship as another form of service.
“You don’t need a billion-dollar idea,” he said. “You need a sense of purpose, a willingness to work, and the right people around you. The rest you can figure out.”
Veterans' Voices is produced for the ear and designed to be heard, not read. We strongly encourage you to listen to the audio by clicking on the blue "LISTEN" button near the top of this page, which includes emotion and emphasis not on the page.
Veterans' Voices is supported by Wright-Patt Credit Union and the Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission. Veterans' Voices is produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO.
