It was another fantastic week for the Catalyst Accelerator’s AI/ML for Space and Maritime Applications (#CAAML) cohort. The Catalyst Accelerator team is delighted to have spent the last two weeks with such a wonderful group of companies and we look forward to reuniting with them on September 19th when the cohort reconvenes in the D.C. area!
Programming kicked off on Monday morning, August 28th, with Mike Martensen, Founder of Martensen IP, who spoke to the cohort companies about IP Strategy. Afterwards, Lt Col (ret) Rob Atkins of Buck Consulting Group provided a high-level overview of the Space Force and its structure. He spoke about the organizational chart of all military branches, USSPACECOM, the various types of contracts and more.
Later that afternoon, KiMar Gartman, Program Director of the Catalyst Accelerator, filmed short interview-style videos with each cohort company. KiMar asked the companies questions about their journeys as small businesses and where they hope to be in the future. She explained, “I always enjoy making short little videos with each of the companies. It gives me a chance to get to know them better and to gauge their experience in the Accelerator so far. I am happy to say our first session was well received by all of the companies. I look forward to session two in College Park, MD!”
On Tuesday, the companies had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Luis Rodriguez (LJ), the U.S. Navy’s PEO IWS S&T Liaison. LJ presented a fantastic overview of the Navy to the cohort where he talked about the structure, funding sources, and how AI/ML fits into the picture. With the joint component of this Accelerator, it’s important that the companies receive both Naval and Space Force perspectives, so they can begin to think about how their technologies apply to both domains.
The Catalyst Accelerator team was pleased to have twelve subject matter experts speak with the cohort during week two. Brian Perry with Chickasaw Nation Industries, Inc. spoke to the cohort about Chickasaw and shared the different ways small businesses can partner with the organization; Kristi Bradford, Founder and Managing Director at Pragmatic Frontiers and Catalyst Accelerator alum, discussed the current investor landscape with the companies; and Melissa Ortiz gave an informative presentation on CRADAs and other tech transfer pathways that are available to small businesses and startups.
Additionally, throughout the week, Mo Kanwischer, President of Momentum Business Consulting, and Joseph Marney, Owner of defy DESIGN, met with the cohort companies. Mo spent time with each company to discuss their value propositions and Joseph walked the group through tips and tricks for video recording and production in preparation for the #CAAML Demo Day video recordings. Both Mo and Joseph have been valued partners of the Catalyst Accelerator for years, and we are so grateful for their continued support of the program and the cohort companies!
The week wrapped up with a warfighter panel that allowed the cohort to pepper the panelists with questions about the obstacles that the Space Force and Air Force are facing regarding AI/ML technology gaps. Afterwards, the cohort companies participated in a collaborative exercise to begin mapping out a possible group deliverable. At the end of the week, Shae Thomas, Program Facilitator of the Catalyst Accelerator, shared her thoughts on the first two weeks of the program, “The first 2-weeks of the AI/ML cohort were a lot of fun! It is great to see the cohort collaborating with one another and gaining important knowledge to push their companies forward.”
Thank you to each of the subject matter experts who spoke with the #CAAML cohort and answered their questions during week two. The Catalyst Accelerator team is looking forward to what the next on-week has in store!
