The Program Hosts Its Sixth Accelerator

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo – August 26, 2020 – Eight small businesses will connect from across the country for the Catalyst Accelerator’s cohort focused on Cyber for Space Applications.

The Catalyst Accelerator, powered by the Air Force Research Lab Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), was developed to promote technology advancement for the warfighter and guide technology transfer for the government to industry and vice versa. The US Space Force, in conjunction with AFRL/RV, is seeking bold and disruptive approaches to security for space cyber-physical systems and operations.

The cohort will meet virtually every other week for 12 weeks beginning September 1. Each company will collaborate with subject matter experts, work with government and commercial Sherpas, complete an intensive customer discovery process, and receive funding sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton. The cohort will conclude with a demo day in November when companies will pitch their technology to government and industry partners.

Captain Keith Hudson, Government Lead for the Cyber for Space Applications, stated, “We’re looking forward to bringing the eight small businesses together to provide guidance to develop the most innovative cyber solutions for the warfighter.”

The Catalyst Accelerator team, with evaluators from the military and industry sectors, selected the following small businesses to participate in the upcoming Cyber for Space Applications cohort:

ANOVA Intelligence’s groundbreaking computational approach to anomaly detection is revolutionizing cyberwarfare engagement for US companies and allies globally.
www.ANOVAintel.com

ARMS Cyber Defense combines micro patching and moving target defense technologies to diversify application code structures. This eliminates known vulnerabilities and protects against zero-day attacks by shuffling vulnerabilities around with no added latency to the user (similar to radio frequency hopping).
www.armscyber.com

Astrapi Corporation constructs signals using spirals with continuously-varying amplitude. Our 2nd generation prototype, based on the Xilinx RFSoC platform enables Astrapi Corporation to fully exploit the capabilities of Spiral Modulation and open the door to dramatically higher spectral efficiency and other benefits.
www.astrapi-corp.com

CyberCentric Technologies, Inc. enables organizations to identify, manage, and protect their most sensitive data using artificial intelligence.
www.cybercentric.com

Corlina Inc.’s platform creates a record of IoT events that establishes an immutable chain of evidence on collected data to certify security and accuracy. It is designed to be lightweight and non-intrusive with a distributed SaaS API architecture built for scalability and resiliency.
www.corlina.com

DornerWorks, Ltd.’s VM Composer™ is the “easy button” to help you develop virtualized systems faster and easier using the high assurance, open source seL4 hypervisor. This tool simplifies how you configure, build, and deploy your virtual machines, reducing costs and bringing new features to your embedded product.
www.dornerworks.com

Lyteloop now makes it possible to harness the power of light to store huge amounts of data in spaced based Hyperscale Data Centers. Achieved through the use of ultra-high bandwidth lasers, data now moves in an endless circulating loop.
www.lyteloop.com

Vitro Technology Corporation is a Zero-Trust IoT company. Zero-Trust relies on the objective authentication of secret and secure IoT data, served via PAM and IAM policies to Multi-domain Operations and trusted automation. Trusted automation includes AI, ML, Digital Twins and the virtual tools we all rely on.
www.vitro.io

About Catalyst Space Accelerator
The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate’s Catalyst Accelerator is a NewSpace-focused defense and national security industry accelerator, headquartered on the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and investors intersect with Colorado’s aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation and stimulate business growth. The Catalyst Accelerator is a collaborative program hosted by Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, Inc. (CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)3) in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide a robust, mentor-driven curriculum for accelerator teams.

 

For more information:
Mrs. KiMar Gartman
Catalyst Accelerator Program Director
Kimar.Gartman@CatalystCampus.Org
719-394-0606

Providing Collaboration to the Aerospace Industry

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo– Aug. 14, 2020 – Fifty small businesses from around the country, took part in The Catalyst Accelerator’s (CA) first Tech Collision July 28-30, with more than 385 people in attendance.

The event was a collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV), Small Business Administration-SBIR/STTR program, Small Business Development Center-Kansas, and Tech Warriors Ops.

Sponsored in part by Lockheed Martin, AFRL and U.S. Space Force, the virtual event brought together small businesses and startups, government and industry tech scouts, and workshop educators.

Guest speakers including the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition the Honorable Sue C. Payton, Col. Joseph Roth, Space and Missile Systems Center, and Col. Eric Felt, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate. The speaking engagements focused on space threats and the technology the Air Force is seeking to enhance their space capabilities.

The organizing team received exceptional support from the City of Colorado Springs, the Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade, and the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Council. 37 companies pitched their technology to government and industry tech scouts and participated in a posterboarding session while thirteen companies exclusively posterboarded.

We are thrilled with the turn out of the Tech Collision event,” said KiMar Gartman, Program Director for the Catalyst Accelerator. “We’d like to thank the aerospace community for coming together to learn more about small businesses and startups that offer exceptional, innovative technology. This event was intended to be the catalyst for community cohesion and focus, and I believe that was accomplished.”

“Programs like Catalyst Accelerator’s Technology Collision, continue to build roads and make the government more accessible to startups, even as COVID-19 prevents these events from occurring in person,” said Capt. Roger Anderson, Deputy Program Manager, Air Force Space Accelerator.

“Participating companies had the opportunity to make relevant connections with industry and the DoD,” Anderson said. “These connections would have been nearly impossible to make in three days without an event like the Tech Collision.”

Blair DeWitt from Lunar Station Corporation commented, “This was great. We want to be at next year’s event, and hopefully the next one will be in-person, but even with a pure virtual event, it was amazing and significantly accelerated our path forward as a start-up.”

The Catalyst Accelerator hosted the Tech Collision in part, with funds granted through participation in the Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. The organizing team focused on recruiting small businesses and startups owned by minorities, women and those located in hub/opportunity zones.

About Catalyst Accelerator
The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate’s Catalyst Accelerator is a NewSpace-focused defense and national security industry accelerator, headquartered on the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and investors intersect with Colorado’s aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation and stimulate business growth. The Catalyst Accelerator is a collaborative program hosted by Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)3) in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide a robust, mentor-driven curriculum for accelerator teams.

For more information:
Mrs. KiMar Gartman
Catalyst Accelerator Program Director
KiMar.Gartman@CatalystCampus.Org
719-394-0606

 

 

 

Discovering Innovative Tech to Keep our Nation’s Cyber-Physical Systems Secure

Colorado Springs, Colo – June 11, 2020 – The Catalyst Accelerator (CA) announced its next cohort, Cyber for Space Applications, launching September 1, 2020. The goal of the CA is to increase Space Force awareness and rapid acquisition of commercial, dual-use space technology by providing relevant business development training to Accelerator companies and connecting these entrepreneurs with users, decision makers, and potential new customers in the DoD and commercial realms. Eight companies will be chosen to participate in the program held at Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“How might we apply cyber technologies to secure the next generation of space operations and increase resiliency?” the problem statement poses. Cyber-physical systems are becoming more integral than ever before, introducing new sets of unique problems in both public and private sectors. It is vital that we come together to identify, understand and limit areas where threats could arise before they are exploited. The Cyber for Space Applications Accelerator, powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate, will be a 12-week, semi-residential program. Participating companies will receive a $12K-grant through the Catalyst Accelerator’s Corporate Sponsor, Booz Allen Hamilton, with an additional $3K available at the end of the Accelerator program when all deliverables have been met.

At the end of the program, all participating companies will have the opportunity to pitch to government stakeholders, industry leaders and commercial investors during a demonstration day. This enables cohort companies to raise awareness of their capabilities in order to solicit additional capital or follow-on government funding for further technological development.

KiMar Gartman, the Catalyst Accelerator Program Director, states, “We are excited to assist the Air Force and Space Force in finding companies with unique cyber solutions that will secure the next generation of space operations and increase resiliency. We look forward to collaborating with our dynamic space community to offer the very best program possible!”

Captain Keith Hudson, Government Lead for the Cyber for Space Applications cohort, stated, “As we face increasing cyber resiliency challenges in space, the upcoming Accelerator provides an opportunity for the USSF and AFRL to connect with small businesses to develop the necessary solutions to those challenges.”

Applications for the Cyber for Space Applications Accelerator will be closing August 3. The Catalyst Accelerator will be holding “Ask Me Anything” sessions on June 18 and July 23 to address inquiries related to the current CA Problem Statement along with other general program questions potential applicants may have.

For updates and other relevant announcements regarding the Cyber for Space Applications Accelerator, follow this cohort on social media with #CACSA. Interested applicants may learn more about the program and apply on the Catalyst Accelerator’s website, CatalystAccelerator.Space/Cyber-for-Space-Applications/.

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About Catalyst Accelerator
The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate’s Catalyst Accelerator is a NewSpace-focused defense and national security industry accelerator, headquartered on the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and investors intersect with Colorado’s aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation and stimulate business growth. The Catalyst Accelerator is a collaborative program hosted by Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)3) in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide a robust, mentor-driven curriculum for accelerator teams.

For more information:
Mrs. KiMar Gartman
Catalyst Accelerator Program Director
KiMar.Gartman@CatalystCampus.Org

A Pitch Event Designed to Facilitate Collisions & Collaborations in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs, Colo– April 7, 2020. The Catalyst Accelerator (CA) will host its first Tech Collision event July 28-30, 2020. The goal of the event is to facilitate “collisions” and collaborations between small business, government, and industry. The event will be held at Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Tech Collision event, sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Space Vehicles Directorate, the Small Business Administration-SBIR/STTR program, and Tech Warriors Ops, will be a 3-day pitch event where 32 – 40 startups and small businesses will have the opportunity to pitch innovative, dual-use space technologies to government and industry tech scouts. The final day will include technology demonstrations facilitated by Tech Warrior Ops (https://twenterprise.org/tech-warrior-ops) and a poster board session open to the public where companies from different sectors, to include Academia, with space or space-related technologies of varying levels of development may display their technology along with the companies that pitched. In addition, participant companies will have the opportunity to attend relevant training workshops. Special focus will be on encouraging companies to apply for upcoming Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program grants.

Evenings during the Tech Collision event will be dedicated to networking. Companies will have the opportunity to visit one-on-one with technology scouts from both the Department of Defense as well as industry. On Wednesday night, the Catalyst Campus will be open to the aerospace community for a luau where participating companies will have the opportunity to organically collide with other individuals and organizations interested in, and already working in, space-related sectors.

KiMar Gartman, the Catalyst Accelerator Program Director, stated, “We are monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic carefully to assure a safe, enjoyable experience for participants and attendees alike. Assuming all is well with the nation, I’m excited about this Tech Collision event and the many connections participating companies will be able to make with government tech scouts and industry leaders during the three days. My hope is that these connections will lead to accelerated development and commercialization of innovative space technology, so it can quickly make it into the hands of the U.S. warfighter!”

Chelsea Gaylord, Senior Economic Development Specialist for the City of Colorado Springs, commented, “This is the first of its kind in our city and will boost small businesses and startups in the aerospace sector, particularly those located in our Opportunity Zones and more underserved areas, by creating opportunities for them to expand their market footprint both commercially and within the Department of Defense.”

The CA is recruiting sponsors, industry/government tech scouts, workshop leaders, and startups and small businesses specializing in space-related technologies to include, but not limited to, SATCOM, Missile Warning, Missile Defense, Kill Assessment and Attack Assessment, PNT, ISR, Space Control (SC) and Space Domain Awareness (SDA), Space Access (SA), Space and Terrestrial Environmental Monitoring (EM), Command and Control (C2), SATOPS, Space Enablers, and Space Resilience. Two informational sessions will be held in April where interested individuals can call in to ask questions about the event. The dates and call-in information can be found at the organization’s website: CatalystAccelerator.Space/TechCollision.

The Catalyst Accelerator is hosting the Tech Collision event, in part, with funds won through participation in the Small Business Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition in 2019. In alignment with this award funding, the CA will target startups and small businesses owned by minorities, women, and those located in hub/opportunity zones to participate in the event. This opportunity is not exclusive to such companies, though. To get involved, visit CatalystAccelerator.Space/TechCollision or email KiMar.Gartman@CatalystCampus.Org.
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About Catalyst Accelerator
The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate’s Catalyst Accelerator is a NewSpace-focused defense and national security industry accelerator, headquartered on the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and venture capital intersect with Colorado’s aerospace and defense industry to create community, spark innovation and stimulate business growth. The Catalyst Space Accelerator is a collaborative program hosted by Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)3) in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory to provide a robust, mentor-driven curriculum for accelerator teams.

For more information:
Mrs. KiMar Gartman
Catalyst Accelerator Program Director
KiMar.Gartman@CatalystCampus.Org
719-394-0606