During the first half of the week, the cohort heard from speakers from Government, Industry, and Academia who all provided different perspectives and opportunities for the companies. Programming kicked off on Tuesday the 17^th with a fascinating AI/ML related use case presented by Dr. Kalita and Dr. Boult from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Later, Albert Robredo, Network and Services EA and Chief Engineer at Leidos, briefed the cohort companies and explained how Leidos interfaces with small businesses. Additionally, representatives from the Department of the Air Force MIT AI Accelerator spoke about the program and explained that it was stood up with the aim of making innovational strides in artificial intelligence to improve DoD operations as well as address broader societal needs. Special Agent Doug Kisby briefed the group on Wednesday on the Air Force Office of Special Investigations NSD817 (AF OSI NSD) and shared the ways in which they’re helping small, non-traditional businesses with proactive counterintelligence support.

Throughout week 9, a heavy emphasis was placed on how to deliver a great pitch, which is especially pertinent at this point in the program as Demo Day is quickly approaching! Shayne McCormick, an instructor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, discussed some helpful public speaking tips and tricks with the cohort and Mo Kanwischer of Momentum Business Consulting met with the companies throughout the week for pitch practice in preparation for the Demo Day pitch video recordings. “During the last couple of weeks, we’ve concentrated on compiling all the customer discovery and cohort members’ value propositions to prepare a script for their Demo Day videos. We’ve worked through timing, getting the message articulated just right and practicing the script aloud. What a difference a few months make! It takes a practiced skill to deliver a cogent message about how their products can support the Air Force, Space Force, and Navy’s missions,” Mo stated.

On Thursday, the cohort had the pleasure of hearing from Hark Herold on how to implement EOS, an amazing program that helps leadership teams “crystallize their vision, gain traction by instilling discipline and accountability, and function as a healthier and more cohesive team.” Then, Doug Cameron, from FSO Source, spoke about getting and maintaining facility clearances. The day ended on the perfect note with a well-attended happy hour sponsored by Stephenson Stellar! There were approximately 60-70 attendees throughout the course of the event, and it proved to be another fantastic opportunity for networking and connection amongst the companies, local entrepreneurs, and leaders in the space and naval communities.

The week wrapped up with presentations from several subject matter experts. The Raymond James team spoke to the group about how to look at exit strategies and how to view intangible assets; Kathleen Sullivan and Linda Dellett from IGNITE Consulting discussed the importance of having a strong public relations presence for growing companies; and Paul Brown, Director of Space Ground Communications/ATLAS at L3Harris Technologies, provided an L3Harris brief and shared some ways that the companies could get involved.

Friday’s sessions ended with a bang with an outstanding discussion on AI technology gaps with Maj Kyle Palko. Maj Palko has an extensive AI background and valuable insight on the importance of adopting AI/ML technology for the benefit of the warfighter. “At its core, directly injecting service member experience and expertise into the roadmap development of early-stage small businesses ensures necessary national security capabilities are built-in from the very beginning. We can help deliver what’s needed to our Airmen and Guardians faster and with more value, the first time,” explained Maj Palko.

Thank you to each of the subject matter experts who donated their time to speak with the #CAAML cohort and answer their questions. The Catalyst Accelerator team is looking forward to week 10 with this awesome group!