Last Monday, January 27th, the Catalyst Accelerator team launched the Space Based Joint Spectrum (#CASJS) cohort and welcomed the participant companies to Colorado Springs. It was a busy kick-off week, and the team couldn’t be more excited to get to know these amazing small businesses better!
On the afternoon of the 27th, the cohort companies had the chance to meet each other before getting an official welcome from the Catalyst Accelerator and Catalyst Campus teams. The companies toured Catalyst Campus and held an expectation setting session, where Shae Thomas, Program Director for the Catalyst Accelerator, set the stage for the next-three months and addressed the companies’ pain points. After the welcome session, the group celebrated the start of the cohort with a dinner at Colorado Craft Social, continuing introductions and building connections.
Tuesday morning, the companies were introduced to the Accelerator Navigators, a team dedicated to guiding the companies and providing resources throughout the program. The Accelerator team is excited to welcome Commercial Navigators from KBR, Freedom Space, Hawkeye 360, Axellio, Bluesky Innovation, and Northrop Grumman. The Government Navigators, Capt Skyler Hart and Patrick Whitty, both come from dynamic Government backgrounds and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table.
Gregg Walsh, Regional Operations Manager at COLSA, is the Lead Navigator, serving as the the primary contact for all Navigators to answer questions, brainstorm solutions, offer advice, and assist with scheduling. Additionally, Ernest Campos, Account Executive Space Programs at American Systems, serves as the Cyber Navigator to assist all companies with their individual cyber issues by ensuring National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) compliances are met and identifying pathways and necessary resources to maintain cyber health. Together, the Commercial and Government Navigators form a robust support system for the cohort companies as they navigate the complexities of government partnerships.
The majority of the companies’ first day was spent with Mo Kanwischer, President of Momentum Business Consulting. Mo has been with the Catalyst Accelerator team since the program’s inception and is an expert in commercialization and business growth. During her allotted time with the companies, Mo discussed ABC statements, customer discovery, and deliverables.
Wednesday’s programming began with continued one-on-one sessions with Mo, followed by pitch and Q&A sessions. Each cohort member delivered a five-minute pitch about their company and technology, answering questions and receiving feedback from fellow cohort members, the Accelerator team, and government representatives from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Space Security and Defense Program (SSDP), and Space Systems Command Front Door (SSC Front Door). This exercise not only helped the companies get to know each other better but also fostered opportunities for future collaboration. The Accelerator team looks forward to seeing the partnerships that emerge from this group! The day concluded with briefings from SSC Front Door and SpaceWERX, where cohort companies learned how to engage with these organizations.
During week one, the cohort had the privilege of hearing from several subject matter experts who generously donated their time. Speakers included Alma McCashland, Acquisition and Contractor Support to SSC Front Door, who provided an overview of SSC Front Door, explaining how companies can get involved and the resources available; Lt Col Natasha Peeples, Commander of Mission Delta 3, Capt Anthony Brzezinski, Program Manager for Electromagnetic Warfare Threat Integration Program, and Russell Bailey, Chief Engineer for Mission Delta 3, shared insights into the United States Space Force (USSF) Delta 3 Space Electromagnetic Warfare; and Ross Morell, Director of Growth at Catalyst Campus, guided the cohort on navigating business opportunities with the DoD.
On Thursday, the Catalyst Accelerator held its sessions virtually due to inclement weather. The day began with a briefing from Aaron Ressler, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Advanced Industries Partnership Liaison, who provided an overview of DoD 101, explaining the structure of the Department of Defense and more. Following the morning sessions, each company had the opportunity for one-on-one meetings with Mary Shippy, Strategic Partnerships Lead at SpaceWERX.
Originally planned for Thursday evening, the Happiest Hour event was postponed due to the inclement weather and will now take place on Wednesday, February 5th. The Accelerator looks forward to welcoming industry and government representatives to network with the outstanding cohort companies!
Week one programming wrapped up with an outstanding presentation from Sean Pascoli, Deputy Program Manager of Development Command (DEVCOM) at Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Steven Jackson, Technology Transition Program Lead at ARL, who gave an overview of the problem statement with the Accelerator, how it was curated, and how the cohort companies might be able to collaborate with the ARL. The Catalyst Accelerator is incredibly grateful for this partnership and looks forward to more engagement opportunities for the cohort companies in the future.
At the end of the week, Capt Skyler Hart, Catalyst Accelerator Government Lead, summarized week one of the #CASJS cohort by sharing, “I enjoyed getting to know these six small businesses better. We talked about areas where they are currently struggling, where they need help, and their areas of expertise. My favorite part, so far, is when a few of the companies realized that their tech could help out one of the other companies in the cohort. Being part of this collaborative space at Catalyst is what excites me about the Accelerator. It drives me to want to do more so that the warfighter has the best tools possible.”
Thank you to each of the subject matter experts who donated their time to speak with the #CASJS cohort and answer their questions. The Catalyst Accelerator team is looking forward to week two with this incredible group of companies!
