Diary of a (Non-Tech) Tech Scout
Excited to post my first blog on LinkedIn! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend!
I've titled this blog thread Diary of a (Non-Tech) Tech Scout as a throwback to a book series my little brother read, "A Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney which follows the protagonist, Greg Heffley, and his day to day life trying to make his way through high school. I figured this was the perfect tongue in cheek representation of my transition post active duty Army (two days into terminal leave); as I wade the waters of transitioning out of the military, working in my capacity as a fellow for Air Force Research Lab, as a reservist with the 75th Innovation Command, and as I start the job search/start-up development process.
I was fortunate enough to be adopted into the Space Force and Air Force innovation ecosystem through the SPECTRE fellowship under the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) with the hopes of bridging innovation efforts between the Army, Air Force, and Space Force below the headquarters level. Part of my role in this fellowship and in the 75th Innovation Command is to serve as a technology scout to support Space Force (SPACEWERX), Air Force, and Army modernization efforts. Throughout the course of my six months I'll use this blog thread as an opportunity to capture and impart my lessons learned for start-up and nascent companies looking to break into the complex, murky, and the seemingly uninviting world of federal acquisitions and research.
To set the stage... after returning from a year long deployment in the Middle East as a targeting officer, and later as a squadron intelligence officer in the storied 3d Cavalry Regiment (Brave Rifles!); I recognized we... the most powerful military in the world... were drastically losing our technological superiority over not only peer/near-peer threats, but even ISIS! Nothing is more frustrating than waiting ten years for the "best tech military money can buy" not be able to influence something that costs $20 on Amazon.
I came back from the deployment and set after to influence innovative change at the ground level... a Captain on the outskirts of the massive Army modernization efforts. To make a long story short, I was fortunate to work on multiple projects attempting to bring start-ups into the Army; some which worked.. and others that didn't. The "failures" and road blocks I experienced fueled me to continue fighting to bring change to the Army in support of the warfighter. B ringing me to writing this blog today and wanting to capture my lessons learned.
Everything to follow is purely my opinion and does not reflect the opinions of the U.S. Army, 75th Innovation Command, U.S. Air Force, Air Force Research Lab, or the U.S. Space Force.
July lessons learned:
1). True or False... The government is there to help? Believe it or not... TRUE! There are ample opportunities provided throughout the government to jump start nascent markets, support the development of young companies, or people with ideas, with critical capabilities, and even provide free lab resources to companies. Listed below are a few programs and opportunities for companies, or frankly people with good ideas, to tap into the array of federal resources (money, resources, coaching, etc.) available.
Air Force/Space Force Hyperspace Challenge: https://hyperspacechallenge.com
Air Force/Space Force Catalyst Accelerator: https://catalystaccelerator.space
Hacking for Defense: https://www.h4d.us
领英推荐
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA): https://federallabs.org/media/publication-library/air-force-crada-brochure
National Security Innovation Network: https://www.nsin.us
Army Applications Lab: https://aal.army
Space Force Pitch Day: https://spaceforcepitchday.com
SOFXWERX: https://www.sofwerx.org
AFWERX: https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/afwerx-usaf/
DEFENSEWERX: https://defensewerx.org
2). Pitches are just as important as your technology!!! Far too often critical, game changing concepts, start-ups, and companies are missed out on because the pitch just didn't "hit the mark". Below are my common observations up to this point:
3). Network, network some more, and when you think you did enough.... do more! Networking has been absolutely critical in shortening my massive learning curve. I am routinely amazed by all of the brilliant ideas and concepts that are teased out over a cup of coffee, or a beer at happy hour. I've found young start-ups have a much higher chance of success if they've heavily developed their network; and as a friend put it today "build your personal brand". These networks provide critical feedback early (even if you don't want to hear it), lessons learned, outside perspectives, and more importantly.... they expand your growing network! I aim to talk to at minimum to three new people a week... equating to 12 a month, or 144 a year. Thats 144 new people a year who can expand your knowledge base and can dramatically increase your network.
Thanks for sticking around for my first entry, I hope this is and will continue to be helpful! If this is useful, do my a favor and leave a comment or forward along to your network! I'll aim to post biweekly and include a future section for frequently asked questions, networking opportunities, and common resources I am using to expand my knowledge base. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend and I'll see you in a couple weeks!
Analyst, aspiring author, Board member for NGO’s & non profits, entrepreneur, conference host/organizer, property & emergency manager, master networker & enthusiast in diplomacy & international relations.
5 个月Excellent post! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge & experience regarding government contracts.
Helping your business achieve its sales goals.
3 年Excellent article, Ian!
Solving problems at speed and scale.
3 年Good stuff Ian! Making notes for our Navy SCOUT effort. Great connecting with you.
Co-Founder at Educe Preparatory Academy LLC
3 年Great stuff here! So much enriching content here for guys like me, someone trying to start their passion for Ed Tech! Appreciate these words and please, keep them coming!
Senior Vice President, Federal Growth and Capture
3 年I had the privilege to meet Ian earlier this week down in Texas. I’m better for it. AFRL/SPACEWERX/75th are lucky to have him. Keep evangelizing Ian. We’re listening.