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EVENT DETAILS |
Seed Funding for Defense & Dual-Use Technology
Join us for a panel discussion on seed funding opportunities for defense & dual-use technology ventures with leaders from Department of Defense (DoD) innovation & funding initiatives, & startups finding success partnering with the DoD.
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Columbia University Startup Lab
WeWork SoHo West Building 69 Charlton Street, NYC
Panel
Colonel Greg Coleman, MD5 Acceleration Portfolio Director, Department of Defense
Warren Katz, Managing Director, Air Force Accelerator powered by Techstars
Anita D'Amico, CEO, Code Dx
Kirk Burton, Defense Acquisition & Policy Analyst @ Department of Defense SBIR Office, ByteCubed
Moderator: Jason Cahill, Founder, McCune Capital, & Associate Professor, Columbia University
Schedule
Doors Open: 6:00
Panel: 6:30 - 7:20 pm
Q&A: 7:20 - 7:30 pm
Social: 7:30 - 9:00 pm
Background
The DoD commits more than $1 billion in non-dilutive capital annually through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. Over a third of awards have gone to firms with fewer than 10 people, more than a fifth to minority or women-owned businesses, & 15% to first-time winners. Dramatic changes are being made to make defense markets more accessible to startups, rather than just defense contractors.
Successful ventures are exploring multiple markets while retaining their original vision & mission. Selectively adding defense & other civic tech applications to use-cases can create powerful opportunities to do well by by doing good.
Learn practical strategies for securing government funding, partnering with DoD for product & customer development support, & exploring national security as a market for your current product & service offerings.
Biographies
Colonel Greg Coleman is the Acceleration Portfolio Manager at MD5. Greg is responsible for growing & maturing civil-military technology ventures. The Acceleration Portfolio's programs give entrepreneurs access to critical resources, including non-dilutive capital, design & engineering support, mentorship, & commercial & DoD research & development infrastructure. In addition to his role at MD5, Greg is a startup founder who Is active in the early stage technology ecosystem, has raised multiple financing rounds, & graduated from the TechStars accelerator.
Warren Katz is Managing Director of the Air Force Accelerator powered by Techstars. Prior to Techstars, Warren was President of Neurala, a leading Artificial Intelligence company that develops The Neurala Brain, an edge-based AI framework with continuous learning. He co-founded MK Technologies in 1990 (which was acquired by VT Systems of Alexandria, Virginia in December 2006). He holds dual bachelor's degrees in mechanical & electrical engineering from MIT. Some of Katz's investments include Harmonix, GrabCAD, Neurala, Oblong, Bevi, LovePop, & PetNet.
Anita D'Amico is CEO of Code Dx, a spin-out of Applied Visions (AVI). Anita created the Secure Decisions division of Applied Visions in 2000, to develop new technologies to enhance cyber situational awareness, & built it into a recognized leader in government-sponsored cybersecurity research. In 2015 Code Dx was spun out as a separate company to commercialize the results of two SBIR contracts in application security. A recent Forbes article named Anita D'Amico as one of five cool women in security who serve as role models for young women entering the field. She is a human factors psychologist, a specialist in cybersecurity situational awareness, & a security researcher. Anita has been awarded close to $8M is SBIR funding.
Kirk Burton is Program Manager, Technology Vision & Analytics at ByteCubed. With experience in Department of Defense technology development & rapid prototyping, Kirk's expertise includes DoD acquisition & contracting, organizational analysis & root cause analysis; as well as small business incubation/acceleration. Kirk is a Cofounder of the Thunderdome Project, a non-profit organization devoted to creating a high tech ecosystem to solve national security problems.
Jason McCune is a network design engineer by training, an experienced manager, an Army veteran who served with Special Forces, an empathetic customer advocate, & a product-focused leader that loves to think big. An MBA at Carnegie Mellon sparked his passion for tech, & for data-centric, mission-driven companies solving real problems. He's always enjoyed helping teams & has long been an advisor/mentor/advocate for entrepreneurial ventures in various organizations. His investments have spanned sectors, but always gravitate toward high-performing operators.
Organizations
DoD MD5collaborates with partners from the venture community & major research universities to provide solutions to the national security problems & accelerate the pace of innovation for the DoD.
DoD SBIRThe mission of the SBIR program is to support scientific excellence & technological innovation through the investment of Federal research funds.
Air Force Accelerator Powered by Techstarsis an accelerator focused on commercially viable startups with dual-purpose technologies - including counter-drone, education, training, & recruiting applications (e.g., AI, AR/VR, gamification).
Code Dxintegrates numerous open-source solutions for application vulnerability management. Anita has leveraged SBIR to build her business without giving up equity, while developing both private & public sector customers.
McCune Capitalseeks audacious builders keen on disrupting older industries with new technologies.
Columbia Entrepreneurshipis dedicated to harnessing the entrepreneurial talent of Columbia University's students, faculty & alumni.
Image Credits: Iconsdesigned by Freepik & Kiranshastry, from Flaticon
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