The Air Force is looking to invest $40 million in startups and small businesses as part of its inaugural Air Force Pitch Day, March 6 in NYC.
And Air Force officials want a submission from YOUR startup.
“Mind-blowing ideas are being birthed in U.S. start-up companies, but the Pentagon largely misses out on them,” Dr. Will Roper, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said in a press release. “We have to do business at the speed of ideas so we can both inspire and accelerate start-up creativity towards national security challenges. The only way we’re going to do that is by making sure partnering with the Air Force is easy and energizing.”
The pitch day is part of a larger rapid contracting effort. It is designed as a fast-track program to put companies on one-page contracts and same-day awards with the swipe of a government credit card.
The opportunity affords small businesses access to the military market as well as non-dilutive capital, which is funding that does not require a company to share its ownership.
— Command, control, communications, intelligence and network technologies
— Battlefield air operations family of systems technologies
— Digital technologies
Apply now – proposals and pitch decks will be accepted until Feb. 6.
The most promising candidates will be invited to pitch their ideas live to a team of Air Force experts, commercial investors, and defense partners for an opportunity to compete for an Air Force contract award up to $158,000.
Dayton startup Battle Sight Technologies, creator of the world’s first infrared crayon, is teaming up with Miamisburg’s Steiner eOptics to sell and distribute its patented CrayTac technology across the globe.
“We are thrilled to partner with Steiner and the global family of brands at Beretta Holding. As one of the largest suppliers of military equipment and night vision technology in the world, their knowledge and access to international markets and buyers provides a significant advantage as Battle Sight expands internationally,” Battle Sight President Nick Ripplinger said in a press release. “Steiner’s expertise with the licensing of products for international sale and export under various U.S. regulations expedites our ability to get our CrayTac technology into the hands of the warfighter.”
Battle Sight made headlines in 2018 with the introduction of its CrayTac infrared tactical crayon, the world’s only reusable infrared writing appliance. The device allows soldiers to covertly write in low-light and no-light situations to ensure effective communication across the team. This communication keeps the soldiers safer and remains invisible to enemies without the proper night vision goggles.
“The CrayTac™ is an exciting extension of infrared capability on the battlefield and it complements our cutting-edge night vision technologies,” Steiner eOptics General ManagerDan Barnes said in the release. “We’re looking forward to the partnership with Battle Sight and supporting their mission to accelerate access to technology for the warfighter world-wide.”
The agreement with Steiner covers all sales and distribution to entities outside the United States.
Battle Sight will continue to handle sales to the U.S. military and special operations forces, tactical police and first response organizations directly through its own sales representatives.
Dayton medical device startup Xact Medical is searching for a new team member to fill a lead role in quality systems and regulatory compliance. See full details below.
Background
Xact Medical is an institutional investor-backed medical device startup located in Springboro, Ohio. With technology exclusively licensed from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Ben Gurion University, Xact is developing a pioneering product in the field of point of care robotics – the Fast Intelligent Needle Delivery System, or FIND.
FIND is a hand-held medical robot that integrates ultrasound imaging with robotics to turn every clinician into an expert at precision needle placement, which will improve patient outcomes and save hospitals time and money. The initial target market is central vascular access, to be followed by regional anesthesiology and biopsy.
With extensive market research completed to confirm product-market fit and an advanced prototype being tested and refined to final design, Xact is currently seeking the right individual to lead our quality systems and regulatory compliance and to grow with us as we go to market. Interested parties should contact Andrew Cothrel, CEO, at [email protected] for more information.
This role’s responsibilities (Director or Manager level depending on experience) include creating and enhancing quality management systems and supporting documentation in compliance with FDA QSRs and ISO 13485, training the Xact team in good QMS practices, and ensuring compliance with all applicable regulatory standards. These activities fall into three groups of responsibility:
Product development/design control
Xact has a QMS in place that is appropriate for its current stage (development), and is following QSR-compliant design controls. Next steps are to get procedures revised and get additional procedures in place, as well as enhancements and ongoing maintenance to the design history file. Once that groundwork is laid, intensive work in verification and validation will be needed. Prior experience in creating standard operating procedures, work instructions, test cases and protocols, validation documents, etc. for an FDA regulated medical products company (device, Dx, or Rx) is essential (and ideally, at least some of this work experience was on a Class II electromechanical medical device, but that is not essential). After V&V is complete, this role will lead efforts to create, submit, and defend a 510(k) submission. Prior experience with 510(k) submissions is highly desirable. We can supplement your efforts with outside experts, but we need to own the 510(k) submission.
Commercial & Manufacturing Operations
Some prior experience with as many of these as possible is desired: CAPA, complaint handling, recalls, material review & disposition, supplier qualification, supplier controls, QC. These activities don’t really ramp up until 2020, so we will have the opportunity to shore up any gaps by that time.
Ongoing QMS continuous improvement
Experience conducting audits and management reviews, as well as creating and delivering employee training, are a plus.
Karlos L. Marshall, cofounder of The Conscious Connect, Inc. has been named to the International Literacy Association’s 2019 30 under 30 list for his work to end book deserts and improve early childhood literacy.
Karlos and his cofounder, Moses Mbeseha, were both recently named to Forbes’ 2019 30 Under 30 list in the education category for this same work.
The International Literacy Association’s list celebrates “rising leaders in the literacy field — a cohort of emerging innovators, disruptors and visionaries creating positive change in the global literacy landscape,” states the press release.
“When we started this organization three years ago, my only hope was to make a difference in my own community and to make my family proud. So to be recognized amongst world leaders is humbling to say the least,” Karlos said.
The ILA list recognizes educators, school administrators, nonprofit leaders, authors, volunteers, researchers and social entrepreneurs from 13 countries.
“The individuals on this list are solving critical issues—issues many of them have faced on their own paths to success,” ILA Executive Director Marcie Craig Post said in the release. “Their contributions are paving the way to more accessible and equitable literacy learning in their schools, communities and beyond. It’s an honor to recognize these young leaders whose vision and tenacity are transforming our world.”
Past honorees include Shiza Shahid, cofounder of the Malala Fund; Andrew Sutherland, founder and chief technology officer of Quizlet; and Kathryn Lett, EL teacher at Kentwood Public Schools in Michigan.
Karlos and Moses founded The Conscious Connect three years ago with the goal of ending book deserts — areas without access to high-quality and affordable books — in Ohio by 2020.
They have distributed 30,000 books throughout the Miami Valley so far. The organization currently boasts more than 100 community partners including barbershops, beauty salons, libraries, community centers, daycare centers, churches and schools that serve as book distribution points throughout the Miami Valley. Recently, it also launched a partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools.
Read our earlier interview with Karlos & Moses here.
View the Literacy Today feature and read more about the honorees’ accomplishments here.
Spots are still open for upcoming winter and spring sessions of OCEAN’s Small Business Training program.
The winter session kicks off Jan. 23 at Vineyard Cincinnati Church in Springdale. The spring session will kick off the second week of April in the Mason area.
OCEAN is a Cincinnati non-profit that focuses on the intersection of faith and entrepreneurship.
Their small biz training program is designed for a range of new entrepreneurs from those who are just to build an idea to those who launched within the past two years.
The training sessions are 9 weeks long. Each weekly meeting is four hours long. Each meeting results in an assignment that will take 2 to 3 hours to complete. After the training concludes, cohorts continue to meet once a month for 6 months for group mentoring.
During the training, participants will develop a detailed business strategy, a company mission statement, a marketing plan, sales projections for one year, an effective business pitch, a metrics system to measure success, and key performance indicators to monitor the business performance.
The training will also address Biblical business principles: growing faith and fruitfulness, pursuing relationships, building a consistent brand,, developing a discipleship model, stewarding God-given resources, growing sustainably, and selling in a way that honors others and fosters relationships.
The cost of the training is $599, with a $100 deposit due upon registration. If you’d like to attend with your business partner, the second registration is only $299.
Register for one of the training sessions here, or contact [email protected] with additional questions.
Out of 600 global chapters, Dayton was selected as one of three cities to take advantage of an exclusive offer from Radix Startup League — Exhibit for FREE at the Startup Grind Global Conference!
Startup Grind just partnered with Radix to offer 5 startups the chance to win a fully sponsored GRIND booth at the Global Conference in Silicon Valley.
More than 2,000 applications have been received so far to exhibit in Silicon Valley. So far, 140 startups have been accepted, representing industries ranging from tech & software to food, real estate, manufacturing, agriculture, marketing, AI, education, cryptocurrency and more. Check out the full list here.
Join this impressive cohort from across the world — apply here for a chance to win a FREE exhibit space at the conference. Mention Candace and the Startup Grind Dayton chapter in your application.
The deadline to apply is THIS Friday, Jan. 18.
Caroline Cao never thought she’d grow up to invent things.
Today, the founder of Endo Guidance Technologies, LLC is working on the prototype of a lightweight, optical fiber shape sensor that would allow physicians in the operating room to track tools in real time for image-guided surgery, without exposing themselves or their patients to the radiation required by current methods.
It’s the first tech she has worked to commercialize.
“Things we invent in the lab don’t usually get to this point,” she said. “But this is both innovative and useful. It will change the way surgeons do work and will be a great benefit to the patient. And we’ll all become patients someday.”
Born in Vietnam, Caroline grew up in a stereotypical Asian education system heavily focused on math, she recalled. When she started university in Vancouver, Canada, her goal was to become a dentist.
While she was in university, her father had an aneurysm and fell into a coma. He eventually woke up and recovered, but she spent a lot of time in the hospital with him and his healthcare team.
“That’s when I became interested in med tech,” Caroline said. “I realized I wanted to build things to make a difference, to help people, things that would have a more immediate impact on health.”
She switched her studies, and found herself at the forefront of remote laparoscopic surgery — minimally invasive surgery that uses small tools and cameras to work on a patient, rather than cutting open their whole abdomen.
The first robots to perform laparoscopic surgery appeared in operating rooms in 2001.
Caroline, now a Wright State University professor of biomedical, industrial and human factors engineering, was recruited to Dayton from Boston in 2012.
Boston’s med tech market was very competitive and mature — but Ohio was hungry for startups, she recalled, specifically citing the Ohio Third Frontier funding. In 2016, she attended the first Dayton Startup Week.
“It was amazing, stimulating, energizing. It was my first exposure to a community of entrepreneurs, and they were very open and very passionate. I was surprised at how collaborative they were, sharing partners and contacts,” she said. “That’s when I decided it could happen here.”
When she’s not in the lab, Caroline can be found running or enjoying Dayton’s stellar performing arts, be it the ballet, opera or symphony.
Her advice to budding entrepreneurs is the same advice she gives to her students:
“Keep your options open, but know the value of hard work,” she said. “Just because it doesn’t work in the beginning doesn’t mean it won’t in the end. If it’s something you really believe in, don’t take no for an answer.”
Roughly 80 percent of companies — whether corporations or startups — that experience a significant data breach or data loss close shop within the following year.
Ever wonder what online security your startup or small biz needs?
DataYard is here to help.
This year, DataYard is launching DataBites, a lunch-and-learn series designed to lead a conversation on cybersecurity for individuals & entrepreneurs who aren’t experts.
“There’s nothing really out there that is directed at the general public,” DataYard’s Jacob Crawford said. “This is our way to bring people up to date with tech topics, from how to be safe and secure, to best practices” for their new business or organization, especially where the back-end of tech is concerned, he added.
Anyone who works with personally identifiable information — from names and emails to credit card and social security numbers — is at risk of cyber attack, he said.
A former cofounder himself, Jacob understands the struggle of trying to fill multiple roles in a new company. These DataBites sessions can help startups start right, he said. They also seek to raise awareness of simple steps individuals can take to be more secure, he added.
The first DataBites is FutureProof 2019, slated for Wednesday, Jan. 16 at noon at DataYard HQ, 130 W. 2nd St., Suite 250 in Dayton. FutureProof will explore next-gen firewalls as a means for individuals and startups to be safe. Attendees are welcome to ask specific questions regarding what security measures they should be implementing for their business, Jacob said.
The second DataBites session, Jurassic Park Blunders, is slated for Thursday, Feb. 21 at noon, at DataYard HQ. In this session, the DataYard team will use clips of the movie to guide the conversation and show how various disasters might have been prevented with better cybersecurity policies and procedures.
Specifically, this second session will touch on NIST 800-171 compliance, a requirement for any contractor or subcontractor who works with classified materials or documents.
The third session, Wonderful World of WAN, will explore how to combine networks from different locations — a workshop applicable for any startup with remote employees or companies with multiple branch locations, Jacob said.
While these first three sessions are planned, the team is seeking feedback. What topics do YOU want to hear about in the cybersecurity arena? What format is preferred — workshops, panels, conversations?
DataBites sessions are free to attend. Lunch will be provided. The first session on Jan. 16 will be catered by Chipotle. See upcoming sessions & register for them here.
Is there a topic you’ve always wanted to delve into, or a peer or mentor you’ve always wanted to hear speak?
Nominate them for this year’s Techstars Startup Week Dayton!
The fourth annual Dayton Startup Week will run June 3-7, and we want to know which topics and speakers you want to hear.
Startup Week brings together the thinkers, dreamers, doers, makers, entrepreneurs around cups of coffee, pints of beer, and small stages spaced throughout local establishments. All experiences are welcome — whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or new to the community, there is space for you to jump in.
In past years, we’ve heard from tech companies to marketing experts, venture capitalists to local coffee roasters.
This year, we’re planning sessions on business elements like marketing, sales, capital, and branding, as well as targeted sessions for medtech, defense, food, and artist entrepreneurs.
We want to make sure the sessions are impactful and actionable — so let us know what you want at this year’s Dayton Startup Week.
Basecamp will once again be at the Steam Plant, located at 617 E. 3rd St. in downtown Dayton.
The former Dayton Power & Light steam generation facility opened in the early 20th century and operated until the mid-1980s. Its new owners have tapped that historic appeal and renovated the building into a full-service event space which first served as Dayton Startup Week base camp in 2018.
Connect and collaborate during this week of diverse speakers and workshops. Nominate a speaker or topic you want to discuss here!
31 S. Main St.
Dayton, OH 45402
[email protected]Get Directions
