Partnership wants ‘non-traditional performers’ for national security work
Tandem NSI’s Deal Day event looks to match defense agencies with entrepreneurs and small businesses in areas such as robotics, 3D printing and cybersecurity.
A new public-private partnership is aiming to match federal agencies and departments with entrepreneurs and small businesses in emerging fields such as robotics, 3D printing and cybersecurity.
Tandem NSI, a group started by Amplifier Ventures and Arlington Economic Development, is a national security commercialization program that seeks to bring entrepreneurs, researchers, and small businesses together with government program managers. The group will provide program managers with exposure to products from “non-traditional” sources and highlight opportunities for entrepreneurs to obtain national security technologies.
The partnership will be holding a “Deal Day” on May 7 to connect small businesses to federal contracts and to provide an inside look at the challenges DOD is looking to solve.
The event will be held in Arlington, Va., and will feature speakers from the Defense and Homeland Security departments, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Office of Naval Research. Speakers from companies such as SpaceX, NetWitness, and Blackbird Technologies will also be present.
“What we are trying to do is make program managers available to non-traditional performers and give them a platform to promote what they are doing, especially in fields like robotics, additive manufacturing and cybersecurity,” said Jonathan Aberman, founder of Tandem NSI, according to DOD Buzz.
These three fields will be given particular emphasis due to the view that the military is lagging behind in terms of industry developments. Tandem NSI is planning on having events this summer that will focus specifically on additive manufacturing and cyber security. Aberman has said that national security agencies wants to find out what entrepreneurs are creating in these fields and find better ways to have them work for government.
The military has only just begun experimenting with 3D printing. In the private sector, the technology has been used to print and launch unmanned aerial vehicles within a 24 hour time span.
The event will discuss topics such as companies that have grown in the national security space, the prospect of startup investment by federal programs, and new business opportunities in robotics, space and additive manufacturing.
A full agenda and registration requirements can be found here.