Vertx Partners highlights five more federal contracting success stories that clients interested in SBIR/STTR awards will find inspiring.
This guide is the third in a series that seeks to inform and inspire (read Parts 1 & 2 here). This series examines a few businesses and research institutions that have reaped the rewards of keeping their finger on the pulse of federal contracting. Every year, more success stories emerge of businesses and their partners utilizing the SBIR/STTR award to innovate and change the world.
Here are five more for your consideration:
1. International Association of Virtual Organizations, Inc.
The International Association of Virtual Organizations (IAVO) is essentially a map-making company founded by Matthew Heric. Having learned from working for a small start-up with ties to the DoD, Heric started IAVO with a broad approach to data analytics but eventually narrowed down the company’s focus after securing an SBIR contract from the U.S. Navy.
Based in North Carolina, Heric’s company reinvented how the Navy deploys its signature Tomahawk missiles using funds awarded by the SBIR solicitation. Heric and his team at IAVO invented IAPioneer, a system of 3D imagery analysis that bypasses conventional GPS interfaces prone to slowdown from public use. Their approach emphasizes advanced, easily learned features thanks to a user-friendly interface.
“I can’t tell you how big a fan I am of the SBIR program,” Heric said. “If the U.S. didn’t have the SBIR program, I don’t know where we would be tech-wise. Overall, with the economic benefit from the SBIR program and its return on investment for the U.S. government, is there a more historically successful program in the U.S? I don’t think there is.”
2. Kreamer Sports, Inc.
Another company originally based in North Carolina, Kreamer Sports, won a $700,000 SBIR contract to develop a protective hand-wear system that could withstand field conditions experienced by soldiers in sub-zero temperatures. Their gloves use a battery pack and microsensors that lessen the bulk of traditional cold-weather gear. The glove also affords troops the dexterity necessary for completing field tasks.
Kreamer Sports is an interesting case where the SBIR contract did not result in the product going to market. However, the research and development that went into Kreamer Sports’ protective glove system directly led to further DoD efforts of successfully implementing heat-wear technology into crew outfits.
3. Syntonics, LLC
Syntonics, a Maryland-based company, put itself on the map by designing the Fiber Optic Remote Antenna eXtension (FORAX) system, an “RF-over-Fiber” system of communications the Pentagon itself uses. This mode of converting radio frequencies (RF) to light for travel through fiber-optic cables and then back again was funded by an SBIR from U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM). It arose from the need to ensure reliable and secure military intelligence communications.
Syntonics eventually crossed paths with Iraqi-based Master Sergeant Rebecca Thomas-Schmidt, who was seeking to improve radio communications with urban patrols out of line of sight. With this need in mind, Syntonics developed their groundbreaking one-fiber/multi-radio aerostat system dubbed the High Antennas for Radio Communications (HARC) system. To this day, the military deploys the HARC system to bolster communications between troops on the ground, cutting decision-making down to crucial seconds and saving lives.
4. Intelligent Automation, Inc. (BlueHalo, LLC)
Cybersecurity is paramount in modern warfare, so Intelligent Automation’s Self-shielding Dynamic Network Architecture (SDNA) is an effective tool. SDNA works with other cybersecurity measures by ensuring that if an attacker breaches a system’s firewall, they must contend with a “shapeshifting” network that costs the attacker precious time and effort, drastically increasing their chances of discovery.
The Maryland-based company has since been acquired by BlueHalo, but its early work was made possible thanks to U.S. Air Force-awarded SBIR/STTR contracts up to Phase III, which enabled SDNA to be subjected to proper field tests that eventually paved the way for military adoption and public commercialization.
5. Auria Space (formerly Orbit Logic, Inc.)
When communications between satellites and ground teams go down, the situation can be disastrous for the satellite in question. Without a manned crew, satellites are prone to strikes from passing debris or other spacecraft without a human operator. Enter Orbit Logic.
This Maryland-based company won a Phase III SBIR/STTR contract with the U.S. Air Force for developing a system that allows out-of-communication satellites to operate autonomously. This degree of autonomy is a failsafe harm-prevention measure that boosts satellites’ onboard situational awareness and decision-making abilities. While still in the AFRL testing phase, Orbit Logic hopes to see the technology implemented in both the public and private sectors.
(Author’s Note: Boecore acquired Orbit Logic in 2023, which now operates under the name Auria Space.)
These are just five more examples of innovative problem-solving funded in part by the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs. As you can see, each company started in an Appalachian state and has since diversified to other areas.
Vertx Partners will continue to bring you stories of small businesses making big strides with SBIR/STTR funding. Inspired by what you see here? Contact Vertx Partners today with our 6-minute survey, and one of our experts will contact you within 48 hours.
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