John Chapman

Whether you are in person or virtual VIPS will have the chance to participate at random. (please see calendar invite & VIP emails for link!)

Don’t miss Capital Factory Founder & CEO Joshua Baer as he shares his reasons for creating this event, what it means for the innovation ecosystem in Texas and beyond, and what you can expect to experience during the next two days.

To help us kick off Fed Supernova, we’ve invited leaders from Texas’ premier universities to speak about their vision for Texas as the best state for defense innovation. As centers for national security research and development, Texas’ universities pave the way for innovators to drive critical defense solutions. How do academic institutions bridge the gap between industry and defense? More importantly -- which bridges can we begin to build now?

Joining Joshua Baer onstage are TAMU Chancellor, John Sharp, UT Dallas President, Dr. Richard Benson, and UTSA President, Dr. Taylor Eighmy, who will spotlight the power of Texas universities to align efforts and advance research toward the national interest.

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is the only Department of Defense organization focused exclusively on fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military. We're a fast-moving team that contracts with commercial companies to help solve critical national security problems — together. 

Join us for an exciting and eye-opening day as we introduce you to DIU's mission and vision for pushing the edge of defense possibilities.

"Build Back Better" is President Biden’s three-part agenda to rescue, recover, and rebuild the economy. This agenda embraces a whole of government approach and the Department of Defense will play a significant role, not only in maintaining a strong national security, but as an economic enabler. 

Join this session to learn how the Department of Defense will defend the United States guided by three priorities;  defending the nation, taking care of people and succeeding through teamwork. Creating opportunities for new-to-government companies to take advantage of its resources will play a major part in the Department’s plans and during this conversation you will receive behind-the-scenes insights from leadership within the Office of the Secretary of Defense as they discuss administration and defense priorities.

Catch your breath, grab a coffee, and chat with changemakers. Get energized and inspired by the world-class professionals in the room and expand your network to the next level.

Need Energy? Yep, that's what we thought. Hear from DIU's newest portfolio, Advanced Energy & Materials, which is dedicated to tackling the DoD's growing energy needs. Capital Factory invites you to learn how industry is integrating advancements in energy and materials technology into DoD installations and distributed operations.

End-user feedback is an essential part of product and software development for most companies. After all, no one knows how a tool actually performs (or should perform) better than the people who use it every day. That’s why DODx organizations are finding creative ways to bring service members directly into the military R&D process — partnering men and women in uniform with commercial innovators to solve tactical-level problems as a team.

Learn how AFWERX is driving these collaborations through its grassroots innovation program, Spark, by connecting Air Force and Space Force intrapreneurs with top problem-solvers from industry, academia, and government. With a decentralized global network, Spark is growing the Air Force’s culture of innovation while turning locally generated ideas and projects into real-world applications.

Catch your breath, grab a coffee, and chat with changemakers. Get energized and inspired by the world-class professionals in the room and expand your network to the next level.

This is a MUST ATTEND. Get an update and briefing on the returns on investment on current STRATFIs of the Air Forces big collaborative opportunities. Learn more about the upcoming opportunities and how you can take advantage of these as well! You won't want to miss out on this one!

Artificial intelligence pushes the limits of known possibility. Yet, AI creates unique challenges for public servants as much as philosophers. While countries like China push forward with AI in military applications, democracies like the U.S. are working to balance the game-changing capabilities that AI provides with public concerns about when, how, and why AI-enabled tools are used for the country’s defense.

U.S. leaders are taking these concerns seriously and working diligently to address them. Learn how DIU and others are helping apply the DoD's Ethical Principles for AI to accelerate the adoption of AI for national security while ensuring responsible, lawful use of this promising technology.

Agility Prime, the Air Force Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) program, is a giant leap forward in military thinking on new competitive markets. Through unprecedented commercial partnerships, we are leveling the playing field to support this emerging market in the U.S. But it will not be the last program of its type. Space debris remediation, quieter supersonic travel, and other frontier industries are just a few that are poised to be next. 

Come hear more about the AFWERX Prime Division's mission and vision for identifying and accelerating dual-use technologies for commercial success and defense utility. We’ll share successes of the past year, detail the road to fielding an eVTOL capability by 2023, and explain how AFWERX is "franchising" the Agility Prime framework to accelerate and transition dual-use technology related to the space domain.  

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) provide additional capabilities on the battlefield to do things humans can't and help keep service members safe from harm. These devices have become invaluable to the U.S. military — which is why DIU developed the Blue UAS project. 

In this session, DIU staff and other experts from across the services will share details about the Blue UAS project and how they are using this project to build a robust, trusted UAS domestic industrial base amid cyber security and global supply chain challenges.

LTG Thomas Todd is Army Futures Command's chief innovation officer. He will share more about the work his team performs behind the scenes, its focus areas for the future, and how Army Futures Command sees the partnership between the Army and industry evolving to help both sides reach their goals.

Putting innovators, experts, and end-users in close contact produces results. That’s not news for the commercial market; it’s a model that industry has been refining for years. But it is a critical shift for the U.S. military — and a powerful business model that the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) activated through its Cohort Program. 

In this session, companies that have participated in AAL cohorts will take the stage alongside Army leaders and PMs to talk about how the Cohort Program works, why it works, and what it will take to scale this novel approach to solution innovation across a million-person organization. Join us to find out how this model is driving culture change and collaborative solutions for the Army.

Modular open system architectures. Shared data repositories. Computer vision. These aren't just Silicon Valley concerns. The U.S. Army uses many of the same technologies as the commercial market and has many of the same needs — from wearables to robotics, electric vehicles to mixed reality, and beyond. 

In this session, technologists and leaders from across the Army will come together to offer a snapshot of their top-priority technology areas and announce opportunities for companies that may have never worked with the government to get involved.

U.S. companies are facing an unprecedented set of challenges — economic uncertainty, decline of critical markets and suppliers, global competition, loss of vital skills in the workforce, and more. In fact, there are 250+ areas where the country’s industrial base and supply chain face critical risks, and these challenges have a direct impact on our national security.

During this panel, you will have the chance to dive deeper into the threats facing the U.S. industrial base during global competition. Members of the Foreign Investment Tiger Team, CIFIUS, NCIS, the Office of Naval Research, OSD’s Trusted Capital Marketplace, and the Defense Investment Network will discuss how they are working to mitigate these threats with carrots and sticks.

Catch your breath, grab a coffee, and chat with changemakers. Get energized and inspired by the world-class professionals in the room and expand your network to the next level.

In 2018, the US Army launched the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) as an innovation unit embedded within Army Futures Command. Its goal: Foster opportunities to work with untapped companies that could bring dual-use technology and novel ideas to Army modernization. 

Join this session to hear AAL's new director, COL Jay Wisham, discuss his observations of the defense innovation space, share what the team has achieved to date, and explain the organization's vision for the future as it works to make the Army a better business partner for small- and mid-sized companies.

“Innovation” is just change by another name. While change can be difficult, it’s also essential to progress. And those necessary changes are often realized through a shift in perspective or by adopting lessons learned from a parallel field. The DoD has acknowledged that. Now, it’s time to put that understanding into practice.

By creating spaces for students and service members to work together, NSIN is driving critical collisions and intellectual diversity into the DoD. Join us to learn how NSIN's Collaboration Portfolio connects the right people from across DoD, academia, venture, and beyond to better understand problems and discover new solutions — together.

Join us for a presentation on how the Department of Navy SBIR program is mobilizing to transition technology faster than ever before.

Curious about what the NavalX Tech Bridges are? We've got just the session for you! The NavalX Tech Bridges are a connected network that enhances collaboration between Naval Labs, industry, academia, and other military branches. Join the Tech Bridges Director at NavalX for an overview of how to utilize the Tech Bridges ecosystems and tap into opportunities.

Catch your breath, grab a coffee, and chat with changemakers. Get energized and inspired by the world-class professionals in the room and expand your network to the next level.

While the U.S. military is all about national defense, national defense is about much more than battle. Humanitarian and diplomatic efforts are equally important to keeping the country safe. That’s why, when natural disasters threaten around the world, members of our military arrive by ship, plane, or helicopter to lend a hand. Whether helping prepare, cleaning up the aftermath, bringing supplies to remote areas, or aiding the sick and injured, service members play an important role in disaster relief.

Although we cannot control when a natural disaster hits, we can control our preparedness, response, and level of resiliency to lessen the damage left behind. Hear how the Global Center for Coordinated Response and Resiliency is helping to improve processes and pathways toward national disaster responses around the world.

The X-Force Fellowship program is an opportunity for technologists and entrepreneurs to serve their country by solving real-world national security problems in collaboration with the U.S. military. 

Join this session to hear four talented X-Force Fellowship teams present the solutions that they developed for DoD customers — and learn more about the program that made it possible.

The U.S. is home to some of the most groundbreaking technology ever created — technology that has changed the world. GPS. Lithium batteries. The iPhone. These are all commonplace today, but they were once the major innovations of their time. And all of these innovations can trace their roots back to the U.S. military. That’s because, for decades, the military was out in front with research and development, from WWII to the Apollo missions and beyond. 

In this session, BG Stephanie Ahern will lead an informative and entertaining discussion with Army scientists, futurists, and commercial experts to explain how concepts about the future of battle influence where the Army invests today. Join us to learn more about the Army's technology roadmap and how companies with relevant solutions can become partners for the future.

Where do we go from here? Take the next step with us as we hear from key leaders how joint solutions activate the full potential of defense innovation possibilities.

Much like commercial industry, the U.S. military is increasing its use of unmanned and anonymous systems to perform tasks that humans can’t — or shouldn’t — do. Far beyond aerial drones, these mobile-guided vehicles also operate on land, in water, or in space to reduce costs, save lives, and advance our society into a safer, smarter future. 

That’s exactly why the U.S Navy and Marine Corps have prioritized unmanned systems as key enablers for their missions. This panel brings together stakeholders from across the Department of the Navy to articulate their current challenges, explain how the Navy is adapting to overcome them, and share how they are partnering with innovative companies to adopt new capabilities in this space.

Catch your breath, grab a coffee, and chat with changemakers. Get energized and inspired by the world-class professionals in the room and expand your network to the next level.

Catch your breath, grab a coffee, and chat with changemakers. Get energized and inspired by the world-class professionals in the room and expand your network to the next level.