Manny S.

#ObsessivelyEnthusiasticInvestor #UnreasonablyEnthusiasticInvestor #IrrationallyEnthusiasticInvestor at REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund. We look for the people we believe are doing the best work in Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology; Attempting the impossible. Then we go all-in on them. With obsessive and unreasonable enthusiasm. Join us. #IndustrialTransformation #SupplyChain #Innovation #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital #DemandTheImpossible #UnreasonableEnthusiasm #ObsessiveEnthusiasm #IrrationalEnthusiasm

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VC investors are more interested than ever in the defense industry and defense technology. It could mark a proper sea change moment for investing in global security. Jason Rathje from Office of Strategic Capital leads the DoD's focus "on strategic capital needs where public support is required to attract private investment..." and "we hope to license our first funds ... where we provide loans to investors to increase early-stage investment in these very difficult technology areas." Katherine Boyle general partner at Andreessen Horowitz has said, "I don't think I've ever seen such excitement, enthusiasm for investing in defense tech across a wide variety of investment firms. I think it's something that pretty much every serious … traditional Silicon Valley investment firm has at least one partner who's focused on aerospace or defense." Not that there aren't challenges. Nick Beim , partner at Venrock: "You'll have to deal with an existing set of economic players who kind of don't want a lot of competition and may be more interested in doing something themselves and partnering with a company that's got a ready solution. So, there are a lot of risks." #defensindustry #defensetech Tholus Capital Ajax Defense https://lnkd.in/eqN68VKV 

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Startups should keenly focus on the #usaf strategic investments, especially the significant $594 million allocated for 2025 aimed at readiness, sortie generation, and mission execution towards forward basing. By aligning with the USAF’s objectives, #startups can not only secure valuable contracts but also contribute to critical #nationaldefense initiatives. Engaging with the USAF opens opportunities for innovation in technology, logistics, and human performance, fostering advancements that are pivotal for modern warfare.

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Nicholas Nelson, Senior Fellow for Emerging Tech & Policy at CEPA and is a Partner at MD One Ventures. Andrew Stiles, advisor on emerging technologies as a management consultant for nearly a decade. Kyra Terenzio, Management consultant specialising in emerging technology at a leading professional services firm. "Domain awareness is an ongoing challenge in countries with large Arctic land masses such as Alaska, where strained connectivity, power access, and extreme weather all hinder unmanned systems. NASA’s drone, Vanilla, flew for six hours in the Arctic totaling over 130 miles. Unique technology such as its internal heating system and anti-icing coating, if adapted to other robotic systems, could help make them more resilient, durable, and interoperable within the Arctic. Additionally, space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (SB-ISR) sensors are critical. However, satellites historically struggle with connectivity, signal fidelity, and resolution quality due to snowfall, cloud coverage, wind, and precipitation. To tackle these, Canada funded the Enhanced Satellite Communication Project – Polar (ESCP-P), which will enable narrowband and wideband satellite communications including beyond line of sight. Polar-orbiting satellites, and the infrastructure to launch them, are also increasingly vital. Russia launched its Arktika-M satellite in December, the second of nine it plans to send into orbit by 2026. The seven NATO countries in the High North will need to expand their own space-based and ground-based communications, such as durable and portable 5G systems and polar-orbit satellites, to provide ubiquitous, rapid data transmission for NATO activity in the High North."

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I was thrilled to learn that the U.S. Department of State plans to establish three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (#FFRDCs): public-private partnerships that conduct innovative R&D for their USG sponsors on topics that cannot be effectively met by the government or the private sector alone. FFRDCs are required to have a long-term strategic relationship with the agency that supports them, allowing the FFRDC to recruit and retain scientific and technical expertise, conduct R&D to meet the needs of the sponsoring agency; and offer independent scientific and technical advice. From my days as an FSO at State and as a consultant on national security and technology for the past five years, I’ve strongly advocated for State to join its Executive Branch brethren – Commerce, NIST, DOD, NSA, Energy, HHS, DHS, NIH, Treasury, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, NASA, NSF, the Social Security Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – in establishing an FFRDC. This was a recommendation I encouraged the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence to include in its 2021 Final Report to the White House and Congress, so it’s heartening to see State finally proceed.  Better late than never! State wants to create three FFRDCs to conduct R&D on: (1) Operational support for acquisition planning and development for new technologies; and operational analysis to identify institutional and capability gaps and how to fill them; (2) Emerging threats, concept exploration, and experimentation and evaluation, developing new concepts, models, prototypes, and proof-of-concept demonstrations, and test-beds, and (3) #IT and #Cyber Operations. I hope this important step, when implemented, will facilitate two more steps that State should take to be a global leader on technology for diplomacy for the rest of the 21st century: (1) Establish an in-house “Technology for Diplomacy” R&D lab that builds off of the FFRDC's work, to conduct internal R&D, prototyping, scaling, and deploying of #AI and other emerging technologies that empower American diplomats, and (2) Fund "Small Business Innovation Research" (#SBIR) Grants to leverage the innovative and entrepreneurial talents of U.S. small technology companies to offer their own innovative tech ideas to bolster US diplomacy and build a private sector constituency for the State Department in America’s vibrant tech startup ecosystems. All of this in due time. The immediate next step is for innovation stakeholders (like FedTech) to give feedback on the proposed scope of the work to be performed by the FFRDCs and on already-existing capabilities in these areas that the Department should consider. Exciting to see State make a long-term commitment to #innovation #technology #entrepreneurism #startups #diplomacy #natsec #leadership.

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A great study on how the national defense #innovation ecosystem is growing rapidly with innovation efforts within and outside the #DepartmentofDefense, there still exist several internal barriers that prevent innovation from scaling at speed. This is a great study to help #military members and #industry understand where DoD stands.

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https://lnkd.in/bxSuXcB I wrote this 11 years ago as an offshoot of an essay I wrote for the White House Fellowship Program. Looking at the current state of our Defense Industrial Base (DIB), I believe my recommendations for challenging the private sector still applies. The basis is signaling a large demand order, place a timeline that exceeds current production capacity to drive investment in equipment and people, and incentivize early, under cost, and to standard delivery of products and services.

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🚀🔬 As a DoD veteran, I understand the importance of early-stage funding for cutting-edge research and development projects. Agencies like DARPA and ONR have a track record of nurturing game-changing technologies through open programs. Here are some insights I've gained from engaging these opportunities: 1️⃣ Stay informed: Keep a close eye on new and existing Broad Agency Announcements on sites like Sam.gov. These announcements are a treasure trove of funding opportunities. 2️⃣ Engage with program managers: Reach out to program managers to discuss their priority needs directly. Their perspectives can guide the development of innovative concepts that address real-world problems. 3️⃣ Focus on technical issues: When crafting proposals, focus on addressing the outlined technical issues rather than getting tied down by rigid specifications. Evaluators are more receptive to concepts that directly tackle identified needs. 4️⃣ Embrace feedback: Expect iterations and treat initial rejections as opportunities for improvement. Build respectful relationships with evaluators to facilitate ongoing dialogue and incorporate their feedback into future proposals. 5️⃣ Collaborate strategically: Partnering with academic institutions and small businesses can strengthen proposals by demonstrating technical expertise and experience in managing administrative demands. Leverage their knowledge to take concepts beyond initial awards. Remember, our goal is to enable disruptors with bold ideas that support important missions. If you need guidance on navigating funding opportunities or developing competitive proposals, reach out. Open collaboration strengthens the overall research community. Let's make a difference together! #govcon #AI/ML #startups

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Understanding the process is paramount for both industry giants and startups alike. As programs expand across the Air Force, collaboration with academia, industry, and partners becomes imperative. The substantial rise in the #research, #development, #test, and evaluation budget to $37.7 billion underscores the criticality of comprehending this process. For industries, it means aligning strategies with Air Force objectives, ensuring efficient utilization of resources, and fostering innovation to meet evolving demands. #Startups benefit by grasping the intricacies of the process, enabling them to navigate regulatory frameworks, leverage opportunities for collaboration, and position themselves competitively in the market. Ultimately, an understanding of this process empowers both established players and budding ventures to contribute effectively to United States Air Force initiatives, driving technological advancement and mission success.

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Today is launch day for Army 250. This is a citizen-led project I started to encourage communities, institutions, and individual Americans to engage with the story of the U.S. Army as we approach its 250th birthday in 2025. Every week we'll be sharing a newsletter that lifts up different dimensions in how the Army has influenced American life and society. This will include military campaigns and stories of American soldiers throughout our history, but it will also look at the connections between the Army and facets of American life seemingly far removed from the battlefield: food, fashion, music, literature, religion, business, civil society, and so many other domains have Army stories. This makes the Army's story relevant and personal for all Americans, irrespective of one's direct connection to the service. You can access the newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/eTG56_xG This effort is intended to complement and support the incredible initiatives underway led by the US Army, the National Museum of the US Army, the Association of the United States Army - AUSA, and the US Army Center of Military History, among other institutions. Please share with anyone you think would be interested in this, and if you'd like to contribute to this project, please send me a message! #army250 #us250 #army #veterans #

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DoD DIGITAL ENGINEERING I love it when DoD leadership steps out in front of the media and so clearly articulates the INTENT and VALUE of Digital Engineering approaches. Col Matt Strohmeyer nailed it. CUSTOM COMMON OPERATING PICTURE (COP) VIEWS FOR EVERY MISSION/LEADER "Instead of a single, standardized, god’s-eye-view, Col. Matthew Strohmeyer said Monday, the goal of GIDE is a constantly evolving ecoystem of different applications, analytics, and interfaces, customized to different users at every level, from four-star theater commanders to mid-grade staffer officers to junior leaders on the battlefield, that will all draw — in different ways — on the same vast pool of data, shared across the different armed services worldwide." POWER OF CLOUD COMPUTE CUSTOM COP SERVICES “the goal is not necessarily to create that one COP that can see essentially everything we have … one Common Operating Picture to rule them all,” the colonel continued. “We need to have a heterogeneous mix of mission applications to get after all the things that we are doing.” Digital Engineering Ecosystems should be typified by numerous vendors being present in an environment that is both collaborative and competitive. Each brings their People, Process, Technology mojo so the government can have access to the right tool for the right purpose. One size does not fit all and there is more than enough work for all of us to do. We're better together. OPEN-SPEC APIs TO LINK DATA & COP CAPABILITIES "Instead of a single super-standard for all data, Strohmeyer suggested, a more practical solution might be mandating Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that automatically translate between otherwise incompatible systems. In fact, before an organization is allowed to “play” in the GIDE experiments, he said, they must provide “open and common access to data,” whether through an API or another automatic translation tool." See my post 2 days ago on this topic: https://lnkd.in/gahF6KQj AGILE APPROACHES "Adaptability requires rapid feedback from a wide range of users, so Strohmeyer’s team has accelerated their already blistering pace, adding smaller weekly workshops to their ambitious quarterly experiments" "In fact, part of the GIDE philosophy — inspired more by Silicon Valley startups than Washington bureaucracy — is an eagerness to “fail fast.” Sometimes known as “agile” development or DevSecOps, the basic strategy is to put nascent tech in the hands of real users, let them test it until something breaks, fix it quickly, and then let the users test the updated iteration until that breaks too." https://lnkd.in/g2HTRWuu

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In case you missed it - Check out this RFI Alert! The United States Air Force Chief Scientist's inter-agency working group on unintended AI bias is actively seeking contributions from both academic institutions and industry leaders to combat bias in AI and ML datasets. Here are the key details from each Request for Information (RFI): 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 🔎 Focus: Exploring the prevalence of bias in AI/ML datasets, especially in the domains that intersect with government data. This RFI aims to collaborate with academic entities, particularly minority-serving institutions and historically black colleges and universities, to advance this research. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eq_RrmuQ 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲: 🔎 Focus: This RFI aims to gather insights from commercial and non-profit organizations about their current efforts to detect and address AI bias, the datasets most affected by bias, and the existing tools and methodologies employed. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eMANehgX Responses for both RFIs should be submitted by May 31, 2024, through the Tradewindai.com portal. This is an opportunity for your institution or organization to contribute to vital discussions on AI ethics and help lead the development of more equitable AI technologies. #opportunityalert #opportunity #industry #academia #RFI #bias #AIbias #AI #ML #data | Keith W. Gibson, CFCM, SCPM | Bonnie Evangelista | Anne Laurent | DoD Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office | Sana U. Hoda | BENJAMIN MCMARTIN | Quentin McCoy | Tattiana Peters | Lori-Ann Rissler | Dolores Kuchina-Musina, Ph.D. | Gage Asper | Stephanie Wilson | Ryan Connell | Savon Thomas | ARI (Applied Research Institute)

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🚨 DOD Funding Course for University Researchers coming soon: Thank you to everyone who voted in my recent poll on what topics you would like help with this summer. Rather than hold a webinar for this topic, because it was the most popular, I decided to go ahead and make that material into a video course. The slides are done and I'll be recording it over the next couple weeks. You can expect it to be available mid-late June. 👉 Request: If you have any specific DOD-funding-related questions or concerns, please leave them in the comments or send me a DM. That way I can make sure I answer these questions in the course. The course will be FREE. The structure will be as follows: 1. Why Consider DOD Funding 2. The DOD Approach to Funding 3. DOD Funding Organizations 4. DOD Programs 5. How to Search for DOD Funding 6. How to Learn what DOD has Funded 7. Connecting with People at DOD 8. Taking the Next Steps I look forward to getting this badly needed resource out to PIs. 👍

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It was an honor to sit down with Francis Rose during the Emerging Tech and Innovation Conference last week with ACT-IAC. We had a great chat about innovation in government. Fed Gov Today is gives a forum for open conversations on important topics facing government. Feel free to drop your thoughts and inputs in the comments to continue the conversation. As I explained in the interview, innovation is commonly used as a noun (a thing) which, in my opinion, detracts from the acceptance of innovation frameworks to unleash the potential of a team. What if we embraced innovation as a verb (an action) or an adjective to describe HOW an organization approaches disruptive initiatives? Thanks for the interview, Francis!

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INNOVATIVE AF | Ideas are a dime a dozen... Crafting a narrative is difficult... Organizing a team is harder yet... Executing on a vision is even more infrequent... Developing a prototype is challenging... Securing resources is a formidable undertaking... Delivering a solution—at any appreciable scale—a rare feat of courage, determination, and grit... Gaining market adoption is always a hurdle... Ensuring sustainability is the ultimate test... All told, innovation is hard. But then there are moments where we get glimpses of success. It's in these moments that it's incumbent on the workforce, contemporary peers, and senior leaders alike to amplify the story—not just the monolithic achievement, but the stories of the people themselves. Say it with me: the proverbial stories of historical lore are getting tired. It's time for a refresh. Make no mistake, NIPRGPT is awesome. Even more awesome-r? The people behind it. Who are they? Collen Roller, Nick Brooks, Alexis B., and a whole host of others who you should ask about—including all the volunteers at hackathons and behind-the-scenes supporters. They each have personal stories full of insight, inspiration, and wisdom that will enable others to go faster and do even better. To that point, if there's only one axiom found in public service, it's that FOMO is real. I can just hear senior leaders in other services and agencies now, "Hey! Where's our NIPRGPT?!" This FOMO and observational precedent can be a POWERFUL tool. Witness a young person successfully empowered and in charge of something? They'll respond, "Where's my Gen Z or Millennial?!" Take liberty with a policy? They'll proclaim, "We should do that too!" The list goes on and on, which can lead to some perverse outcomes or behaviors—insert budget/technological redundancies and the oftentimes dangerous currency dealing of political capital show theater here—but when harnessed and wielded, it's, for the most part, a good thing. Like healthy sibling rivalry. And what does that lead to? More innovation, more trailblazing, more mindsets like "Yes, if..." and professional improv like "Yes, and..." Isn't that all we really want? Sure, NIPRGPT is great; there are also a lot of iterative fixes ahead, too. Don't dwell on the thing. Focus on the real takeaway: the stories of others that compel and inspire. Humans are storytellers. Tell more contemporary stories. It's a marker of progress that leads to growth and learning. Because, truly, the best form of learning is found by doing. #technology #leadership #artficialintelligence #future #innovation

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Dual use is a key attribute for a phase 3 SBIR/STTR.

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Modernizing Army Software Acquisition: With DASA (SAR) Margaret Boatner and PEO IEW & S BG Ed Barker Center for Strategic & International Studies 19 Apr 2024 The Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group (DIIG) will host a roundtable discussion with Ms. Margaret Boatner, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Strategy & Acquisition Reform (DASA(SAR)), and Brigadier General Ed Barker, Program Executive Officer for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, & Sensors (PEO IEWS), on modernizing Army software acquisition. The Army recently released a policy that reforms a number of institutional Army policies and processes—from requirements through sustainment—to accelerate the adoption of modern and agile software development approaches in line with industry best practices. The discussion will focus on the historical approaches the Army used to develop software, the key principles of the new policy and how it seeks to disrupt the status quo, and the measures the Army will take to successfully implement the policy. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Alexis Lasselle Ross, a Senior Associate (Non-Resident) at CSIS.

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The DoD could conduct a Capstone on how not to incorporate new enterprise software. SNAFUs like the endless travel system upgrades, however, are not as damaging as GENESIS--a massive recruiting constraint at a time we least need it. GENESIS is an invasive microscope that scours the Cloud in search of every health issue going back to childhood. Most of you veterans reading this note would have been flagged by GENESIS, slowing down your processing time or preventing your service altogether. The military services never wanted GENESIS. Several years ago, the chiefs predicted this catastrophe, asking that GENESIS be held out of recruit screening. OSD has ignored the evidence piling up at the grassroots, where our tireless recruiters have been disempowered and our risk averse health screeners are overrun by red flags. OSD promises more doctors. That doesn't solve the problem. An astonishing 20% of recruits today receive waivers. In other words, general officers have to override a fail rate that would be unacceptable in any production line, let alone one that prevents athletic volunteers from joining. By endorsing this billion dollar strainer, laden with false positives, OSD impedes the services' recruiting strategy. Thanks Jen Griffin for digging in... https://lnkd.in/gmZY6WxA

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