The Catalyst Accelerator team was thrilled to reconvene with the #CASJS cohort for the second session of programming on February 25th! It was an excellent week filled with insightful presentations, engaging discussions, and enjoyed a lively Mix & Mingle Happy Hour generously sponsored by long-time supporter of the Catalyst Accelerator, Palmetier Law.
On the morning of Tuesday the 25th, the cohort met to pulse check on the first two-weeks of programming and make sure everyone is ready to start the next session. Following this meeting, the companies met with Mo Kanwischer, President of Momentum Business Consulting to learn how to write a great script, which will be used for their Demo Day videos at the culmination of the cohort. Following this session, the team had a lunch and learn session with Tim Lockhart from Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Bringing Classified Innovation to Defense and Government Systems (DARPA BRIDGES).
On Wednesday, the cohort had a full day of presentations, starting with a presentation from Fred Taylor VP, Space & Cyber Applications Erik Eliasen, Director of Business Development at Viasat. Following this, the companies heard from Lorna Gunning from Colorado Apex Accelerators, who spoke to the Catalyst Accelerator about other government agencies and how they might use their technologies. The presentations wrapped up with Doug Cameron, Principal Consultant at FSO Source, and Brian Kaveney, Partner and Industrial Security Practice Leader at Armstrong Teasdale LLP, presenting about security clearances.
Following Wednesday programming and one-on-ones, the cohort gathered at COATI, a food hall and events space, where the team workshopped their networking techniques and enjoyed good food!
On Thursday, Karri Palmetier, Founding Member of Palmetier Law, LLC, and long-time supporter of the Catalyst Accelerator and small businesses, presented to the cohort on SBIR data rights. The cohort then met with Doug Cameron and Karri Palmetier for one-on-one meetings that afternoon. Following this, the companies enjoyed the Mix & Mingle Happy Hour sponsored by Palmetier Law. The event saw a great turnout of around 60 people from the Colorado defense ecosystem attending the event! The team is thankful for the generous sponsorship of the happy hour from Palmetier Law. The Catalyst Accelerator program is able to host events like these in support of our cohort because of our sponsors!
Friday programming started with a conversation with Bill Thornton from Chickasaw Nation Industries, who spoke about his first-hand experience with Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) in the Army and allowed the companies to ask questions from his experience. Following this discussion, Shane Deichman, Sr. Business Development Manager at Northrop Grumman, briefed the cohort on Northrop Grumman. Wrapping up the week, the cohort heard a brief from the Space Security Development Program (SSDP) about EW challenges and victories.
A big thank you to the subject matter experts who generously donated their time and insights with the #CASJS cohort, answering their questions and providing valuable guidance. The Catalyst Accelerator team is excited for the next week of programming in session two with this outstanding group of companies!
