PEDAL TO THE MEDAL
increase in small businesses’ understand- ing of the Army’s current priorities, based on survey responses, and more than 55 Army engagements which included things like conference attendance, one-on-one meetings with program managers and accelerator event participation.
BENEFITS OF ARMY ACCELERATORS Since these programs have been adopted, a number of positive outcomes have resulted. Army accelerators have promoted greater awareness of the Army as a potential part- ner and customer among commercial technology businesses, and have devel- oped new frameworks for traversing the chasm of technology transition, otherwise known as the valley of death. Accelera- tors allow the Army to have close contact with the founders of small businesses, creating an opportunity for the Army to have direct interactions and develop empa- thy for challenges unique to innovative small businesses, which, in turn, allows stakeholders and policymakers to adjust protocols for streamlined integration.
A unique benefit of accelerators is that they can be customized to the needs of partici- pating companies and the content is at the discretion of the sponsoring organization. A prime example of this customization was in the xTech Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Challenge, in which the accelerator team designed a customized accelerator for international AI businesses looking to partner with DOD.
“To truly have ‘world class’ technolo- gies, the U.S. Army must reach out to worldwide technology development sectors to understand their unique solu- tions to the DOD’s AI challenges,” said Nathan Anderson, technical director for the Combat Capabilities Develop- ment Command (DEVCOM) Atlantic International Technology Center – UK.
ALL EYES ON OWL
Douglas R. Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, center, presents the grand prize award to members of Project OWL, winners of xTech 5, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Sept. 2, 2021. Project OWL developed communications technology that can be used quickly and easily in operational environments or in areas impacted by natural disaster. (Photo by Laura Buchta, U.S. Army)
“Another goal of the [competition] is to provide mentorship and networking to industry finalists, many of whom may not have done business with the U.S. govern- ment previously. Tis mentorship will help break down entry barriers to future business and create more enduring part- nerships with international technology developers.”
Te global competition enabled the U.S. to understand the solutions available on an international level that can meet the Army’s needs. Te accelerator helped the participants work with the Army effec- tively to meet those needs.
The Army Applied SBIR and xTech programs strive to continuously improve the processes and the benefits for partic- ipating businesses, making it easier to do business with the Army. For example, each accelerator program collects comprehen- sive entrance- and exit-interview data from its cohorts to augment the strategy and execution of future accelerator programs.
48
Te data has aided the Army in identi- fying areas of improvement for future competitions to meet not only the needs of the Army, but also small businesses. Trough continuous feedback from previ- ous xTechSearch accelerators, the Army learned that small businesses wanted additional opportunities for follow-on contracts. As a result, the xTech program was able to confirm the information with data points and provide the top small busi- ness finalists an opportunity to submit for a Phase I SBIR award in conjunction with cash prizes. Tis pivot is in line with the Army SBIR program’s broader strategy to have acquisition personnel and end users drive topics to maximize the likelihood of transition through established and funded Army acquisition programs.
ACCELERATED IMPACT To date, the program has provided acceler- ator support to 87 companies from across the U.S. and internationally. Tese busi- nesses have experienced success in winning more than $33 million in DOD contracts,
Army AL&T Magazine
Spring 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140
