Vets @ Tech Startups - In Honor of Veterans Day
November is the month we remember those who have served, many of which have offered the ultimate sacrifice- our veterans. Veterans Day falls on November 11. It’s fitting then that BMNT/H4XLabs, given our mission, hereby highlights a few startups founded by vets, in honor of all veterans.
In no particular order:
Learn To Win - a microtraining platform company that offers services alongside their product, accelerating time to impact for Fortune 500 companies and more. The idea for this company originated from the personal experiences of its co-founders, Sasha and Phil, who had to deal with numerous ineffective training courses each year. What they are doing is bringing data and analytics into the entire training process. Over a year ago, Learn To Win won a contract from the Program Executive Office for Manpower, Logistics, and Business, which provided 2,000 user licenses to create new training content for learners, with various applications from corrosion identification to training on night vision goggles. L2W has scaled not only into military training organizations, but has found product market fit in several commercial domains!
Agrippa - Agrippa is a team [mostly] from the Navy and is building for the Navy. The company is engaged in developing new operational concepts to support integrated deterrence in the Indo-Pacific; in fact, they are enabling new, unique ConOps with the product they are building - a unique unmanned surface vehicle still under wraps to most of the world. David Hoyt, one of the founders and on the management team, and the other three co-founders, seek to make a difference by building a next generation autonomous surface vehicle rightly sized to enable resupply at ease.
Hidden Level - Brad Garber, who previously worked for VCNO Vice Admiral Lesher, identified an opportunity just this year with Hidden Level, a next-generation drone air traffic management company that has many innovative features. Brad serves as the Chief Operating Officer, and we are already witnessing the advantages he brings to Hidden Level, not only through his industry contacts but also his extensive experience within the aerospace sector.
BMNT collaborated with Brad during his time in the Navy, helping to shape an innovative mindset that inspired concepts related to disruptive commercial capabilities. These are the capabilities that H4XLabs aims to identify in order to meet mission requirements.
Hidden Level is on a trajectory to transform airspace management, ensuring safety, especially with the increasing number of drones entering the market. They secured funding earlier this year and are now expanding both domestically and internationally.
You might know of other veterans-founded startups - please share your insights on Substack or LinkedIn or send us the information, and we'll be happy to spread the word!
SpaceWERX Orbital Prime Cohort Development Program | Fall 2023
On October 10, BMNT hosted its second Quarterly Development Program (QDP) for SpaceWERX Orbital Prime Cohort. The day brought together nearly 50 founders and technologists from various D2P2 and STTR II awardees for a day-long event filled with panel discussions, briefings from top-level officials, and tabletop exercises. These discussions covered topics such as financing, fundraising with prominent defense technology investors, and product roadmapping with space industry leaders. We made sure the event coincided with CONFERS – an organization shining a light on ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing).
Dr. Ezinne Uzo-Okoro, Assistant Director for Space Policy at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, offered a keynote speech tailored to the Orbital Prime Cohort companies and their unique challenges. Additionally, SpaceWERX and BMNT organized tabletop exercises to make the event more interactive, allowing companies to "wargame" various space-related scenarios. Based on feedback from attendees, the CDP event served as an excellent prelude to the CONFERS GSSF conference the following day.
Shout Outs
A special shout out to our H4Allies Norway companies who made the long journey across the Atlantic to meet with us in Washington, D.C. We hosted a day of programming and had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Norwegian Ministry of Defense, the U.S. Foreign Comparative Testing office, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and more. Our team thoroughly enjoyed hosting this group and looks forward to their next visit.
Announcements
Some of our team had the privilege of attending the official launch of NORCHAM USA, a gathering of representatives from the Royal Norwegian Embassy, government officials, the Norwegian Ambassador to the United States, and more! This event was sponsored by Lockheed Martin, Innovation Norway, and Teledyne Flir. The H4XLabs team, through our H4Allies Norway program, is proud to consider NORCHAM USA as a partner. To learn more about this organization, visit their website here.
Are you a company interested in doing business with the government? The federal marketplace is attracting thousands of companies, but many struggle to secure recurring contracts. A research effort at Stanford aims to better understand the needs of companies to succeed in this space. They've launched a survey called "Doing Business with the Government." This 10-question survey will help shape policy recommendations to enhance the government's ability to partner with startups and small businesses. Don't miss this opportunity to make your voice heard! Take the survey.
Thought Corner
Last month, we thought we might face a federal government shutdown. This month, we might be in for a similar experience, possibly on November 17. The looming shutdown prompted many questions: "What should we do? Will we still get paid? Are any of our contracts at risk?" These concerns crossed our minds at various points, so we wanted to share a glimpse of our side of the story. We received information from one of our colleagues with years of experience on Capitol Hill.
While some teams within federal government agencies would have continued operating as usual, including the SpaceWERX team with whom we closely collaborate, our NASA contract presented more challenges. During a shutdown, we wouldn't have been able to communicate with our client or their team, which is a major issue when navigating the NASA SBIR Ignite process. As a result, we had to create contingency plans, such as pushing back certain processes if the shutdown lasted until a specific date. These discussions involved our internal team, the NASA team, and fellow government contractors. Although there was still work to be done, not being able to communicate with customers would have posed significant obstacles.
We're particularly relieved that a shutdown was averted (for now!). When we hosted our H4Allies companies in D.C., we had panelists from the Foreign Comparative Testing Office, and their presence was immensely valuable for discussions with our Norwegian cohort.
We're keeping our fingers crossed for us and the rest of the dual-use/government community as we approach the potential shutdown in the coming weeks.
DIU on the Risk: DIU’s Blueprint for Tech Collaboration: Navigating Defense Contracts
On October 19th, we were joined by Amanda Heller (Business Intelligence PM at DIU) and David Rader (DIU Senior Advisor to CET) to discuss navigating defense contracts. You can watch the webinar here.
Learnings:
DIU has no geographical limitations and has partnered with companies in approximately 20 countries. Unlike SBIR, there is no requirement for a US LLC or 51% US ownership.
The CSO (Commercial Solutions Opening) process involves evaluating a company's commercial viability, understanding and protecting company IP, and addressing risks, including geopolitical and economic factors.
The main advice for companies is to focus on their product and not worry about commercial viability. Submit to open DIU CSOs, and DIU will work with you as a team to address other aspects.
To get involved with DIU, follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter, check their website, sign up for their newsletter, and reach out to the CET (Commercial Engagement Team) at CET@diu.mil. Social media is the best way to stay updated on which conferences DIU will attend.
Set up a Google Alert with "DIU" or "Defense Innovation Unit" as search terms to receive information in your email.
Funding Opportunities
DoD SBIR Winter Cycle - opened on September 7th and will close in two weeks. Make sure to determine if the DoD agency you're interested in has a need for your solution. The next cycle will open in about four months, and you should use the open period to find technical points of contact for conversations. Once the Topic Q&A period closes, you can no longer have conversations about the SBIR program.
Due to increasing scrutiny and surveillance by Congress, there is now a requirement to disclose foreign affiliates. You can find the training document here. For more information, visit the Learning & Support section for Job Aids and Help Videos to guide you through preparing and submitting your proposal in DSIP here.
DARPA Triage Challenge - Submissions are due on November 13th, 2023. This challenge aims to drive innovation in identifying injury "signatures" for effective medical triage, particularly in mass casualty incidents. For more details, visit the challenge website.
NASA Tournament Lab - NASA seeks solutions to detect, track, clean up small space debris. Submissions are due on November 15th, 2023. The challenge focuses on scalable solutions for dealing with small space debris. To learn more, visit the challenge page.
SNIN, Central Florida Tech Grove, ONR, and NAWCTSD Instructional System Design (ISD) Analysis Using AI Large Language Models Challenge - Phase 1 submission deadline is November 29, 2023. This challenge addresses the need for faster and higher-quality development of training requirements for the United States Armed Forces. It explores whether AI tools like large language models can accelerate the ISD analysis process. For more information, visit the challenge page.
NASA Tournament Lab - Brilliant Minds for Pure Blue Skies - Submissions are due on December 14th, 2023. NASA is looking for revolutionary ideas to reduce or eliminate harmful emissions from longer flights by wide-body aircraft. To be eligible, your submission must include a technical method for emission reduction, quantified benefits, and a credible demonstration plan. Learn more about this challenge here.
Our Events + Where Will H4XLabs Be?
November 29, 2023, at 8:00 am Pacific: H4XLabs Zoominars: Exploring Business Models & Partnerships - Register today, even if you can't make it, and we'll send you the recording.
Join our webinar and explore the world of business models and strategic partnerships. Uncover valuable insights and innovative revenue models. We’ll delve into the nuances of commercial and government partnerships, discussing key drivers and emerging trends.
TACFI & D2P2: Last-Minute Questions Answered - Nov 1, 2023, 11:00 AM Pacific: The Outpost is hosting a live webinar for those preparing for TACFI and D2P2 submissions. If you have questions, this is your chance to get expert insights and fine-tune your approach for a successful submission. Register here.
Thanks for reading!