Organizers of an innovation summit in Austin, TX, are moving the event to Tampa to better serve the military’s growing technology needs. “Tampa is the ideal epicenter to link the DOD’s [U.S. Department of Defense’s] massive innovation needs with global private sector solution providers,” says Dr. Matthew Laudon, CEO of the Austin-based TechConnect planning the summit.
The Defense Innovation Summit and Showcase prospects for businesses that can deliver private sector, early-stage technologies to the DOD. Its goal is supporting the warfighter with easy-to-use products that are rugged and will survive extreme heat, sand, or other harsh environmental conditions.
“You can think of this as a shark-tank [the popular TV show] for the military; prospecting for break- through technologies from outside of the traditional defense industry, yet aligned with national security needs,” Laudon says.
The event, scheduled Oct. 3 through 5 at the Tampa Bay Convention Center, is being held jointly with the Defense Innovation Technology Acceleration Challenges (DITAC 2017), and the National Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Innovation Summit. Together they are expected to draw more than one thousand innovations from across the country. The programs are expected to draw from 1200 to 1500, and include a high “concentration of defense innovation and early-stage federal funding leadership,” Laudon says.
Technologies will include Defense Energy, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing, Space Technologies, Cyber Security, Defense Medical, Advanced Electronics, Communications and Sensors.
“The event consists of DOD populated panels and workshops on DOD initiatives and a series of ‘Shark Tank’ innovation pitch programs, with the DOD filling the role as the on-site reviewers,” Laudon says. “In addition, all innovators exhibit or demo their technologies during the evening Defense Innovation Showcase programs.”
The event’s organizer, TechConnect, has made a two-year commitment to Tampa. “We are looking for a long-term home for the event that is supported by a local and engaged Innovation Community, along with engagement from the Defense Innovation community,” Laudon says. “Our hope is that the Tampa Innovation Community will be that strong support partner so that we are able to keep the event permanently in Tampa.”
The decision to relocate was made by the TechConnect Innovation Advisory Committee with input from DOD leadership, including U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Central Command. As home to both SOCOM and CENTCOM, and the site of growing innovation community, the Tampa area was a natural draw.
“When you’ve got one of the largest … science and technology budgets really in the country, right at your backdoor, you as a community have a great opportunity,” says Bernice Glenn, Senior VP of Strategic Partnerships for National Security Technology Accelerator, of Arlington, VA, which is partnering with TechConnect.
NSTA, which will be helping to recruit keynote speakers, is involved with review panels. “We try to work ahead of the schedule of the summit to help identify, from the defense side exactly what they need, and get that information out to the tech side so the techs can respond meaningfully,” Glenn explains.
The Tampa event is one of three TechConnect events. The others are in Washington DC and Hawaii.
Marc Blumenthal, CEO of Florida Funders, which is actively interested in funding innovative companies, says moving the summit to Tampa is a “big deal.”
“The region is ... really beginning to become more recognized as a fantastic place to do business and notably, a great place for innovation to be fostered,” he says. “Austin is world renowned as a city that defines innovation and creativity and Tampa is well on its way to having many of the same attributes, with all of the other things that make Tampa, and Florida by extension, very special.”
SBIR/STTR is a potential funding opportunity for the right innovative businesses. “Simply put, the SBIR program represents the nation’s largest angel capital fund available to early-stage innovators,” Laudon says. “The co-located National SBIR/STTR Innovation Summit represents over $2.5 billion in annual early-stage commercialization funding coming out of U.S. federal agencies. Attendees and innovators have access to one-on-one meeting opportunities with SBIR Program Directors from over 20 federal agencies...”
DITAC prospects for “break-through technologies from outside of the traditional defense industry,” Laudon adds.
“Vetted and sub-selected innovations pitch their technologies to panels of DOD innovation leadership,” he says.
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The summits are “high points” for year-round prospecting that helps both the defense and private sectors, Glenn says.