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
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
