Liya Smolina

Curious what kind of companies use the SBIR Program to snag non-dilutive capital and work with the DoD? Find out during an hour of rapid, back-to-back pitches from companies that recently completed the Capital Factory SBIR Accelerator. 

You'll get a peek at some interesting technology, be introduced to impressive founders, and walk away with a better idea of the resources available to help you break into this huge market. This session will be moderated to keep us moving and maximize value for attendees.

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.

Welcome to AFWERX, the U.S. Air Force's team of innovators who encourage and facilitate connections across industry, academia, and military to create transformative opportunities and foster a culture of innovation. 

Learn how you can engage with AFWERX's mission, vision, and scope for increasing partnerships during Fed Supernova 2021, and hear a special message from Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Gen. David W. Allvin.

The novel ideas that drove the high-tech revolution — and that helped the United States build strength as a nation — were grounded in a close, mutually-beneficial relationship between the military and the commercial world. Today, those same partnerships are critical to protecting the intellectual property of American businesses and helping the country protect itself from foreign threats.

As the U.S. Air Force Deputy Assistant Secretary for Contracting, Maj. Gen. Cameron Holt is helping the service reinvigorate those partnerships at the strategic level by pushing the envelope of government acquisitions and building a culture of critical thinking among the Air Force contracting community. Find out what he’s doing and why he is optimistic about the path ahead.

With a $3B science and technology program — and an additional $3B in externally funded research and development — the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a pretty big deal. This scientific research organization is dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of new technologies across the entire United States Air Force as well as for U.S. space and cyberspace forces.

Since 1997, AFRL has been partnering with NASA, DARPA, universities, commercial organizations, and others to perform experiments that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Hear from AFRL Commander Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle as she shares what AFRL is up to these days and how you can be part of their mission.

Established in 2017 by the Secretary of the Air Force, AFWERX connects innovators across government, industry, and academia to accelerate commercial technologies that can solve military problems. By harnessing the ingenuity of internal talent and creating novel programs to help small businesses, AFWERX is spearheading a new normal for military-civilian partnerships.

Join Col. Nathan Diller and Lt. Col. Rock McMillan to learn more about AFWERX and SpaceWERX, its Space Force affiliated arm, as well what these new approaches mean for the nation’s economy, for its defense, and for you.

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.

Private capital firms have been leery of investing in companies that focus on federal government work, due in part to conventional funding timelines and concerns about translating military technology to the commercial market. But that trend is shifting. In the past 5 years, companies tagged “gov tech” on Crunchbase raised nearly $2B in investment, indicating major growth — and major opportunities — in the government market.

Join AFVentures, the commercial investment arm of the Air Force, to learn how they are helping drive this shift by transforming the Air Force and Space Force into a premier early-stage “investor." By speeding timelines and offering non-dilutive funding to match private capital, AFWERX is attracting more companies as partners and accelerating commercialization of technologies that support national security.

Startups and entrepreneurs play an ever-increasing role in innovation and job creation — and in keeping the U.S. competitive amid globalization. That’s why the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program was created in 1982 and why the government awards billions in non-dilutive funding through SBIR each year.

The funding is out there, but only if you know how to access it. In 2020, Capital Factory introduced a no-cost SBIR Accelerator to help companies crack the code and maximize their success when applying for SBIR topics. Come meet a few of the companies that found success in this program last year to learn more about their projects and their experiences with Capital Factory's SBIR Accelerator.

Building software is hard. Doing it in the DoD is even harder. How have the Army, Navy, and Air Force figured out how to deliver outcomes in their software development organizations? The answers will surprise you. Join this session to learn more!

The global air taxi passenger mobility market is forecasted to grow from ~$1.5B in 2025 to more than $150B by 2035. And electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) lies at the core of this burgeoning market. With promises of quieter operation, fewer maintenance requirements, and lower operational costs, VCs aren’t the only ones with enhanced interest in the eVTOL industry. The military is equally focused on the electric future of vertical lift. 

Join this diverse panel of speakers to learn more about the U.S. Air Force’s efforts to accelerate the eVTOL transition through dual-use development campaigns in central Texas. With a presentation followed by Q&A, you will discover the potential of this new technology to positively disrupt military operations and the urban mobility landscape alike.

At the National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), community is our core strength. Our team builds networks among innovators who generate new solutions to giant problems. By combining problem-solvers from different kinds of communities, NSIN creates powerful and unexpected effects in the service of national security. The question is: Where do YOU fit in? 

Find out from Matt Merighi, NSIN’s Acting Director of Operations, as he explains the work of bringing together defense, academic, and entrepreneurial innovators to solve national security problems in new ways. He’ll share more about NSIN’s programs as well as how you can engage with their mission, vision, and scope during Fed Supernova. 

Deloitte plays a huge part in the NSIN track for Fed Supernova 2021. Tune in to hear how Deloitte's support is making Fed Supernova 2021 go from not just possible, but absolutely epic. 

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.

Modernization is a hot topic across the government — and a central tenet of the National Defense Strategy. But it's not just about finding and applying the hottest new tech. It's also about changing how the government sources solutions from the commercial market to catch up with the speed of business and make the process less painful for everyone. 

Join Anne Laurent and other contracting experts from across the Army to understand the current status of government contracting, what's already changed, and what new changes are coming to make this vision of modernization a reality.