AF to roll out SBIR grants at fest

The Air Force will roll out its final stage of a commercial startup investment strategy March 13-20 at the South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, that will grant one or more contracts worth at least $10M to startups with game-changing technologies, says AF acquisition chief Will Roper. The Austin event, called the Air Force Pitch Bowl, will match AF investment with private venture capital funds on a one-to-two-ratio, according Capt. Chris Benson of AFWERX, an AF innovation unit with a hub in Austin. Back on Oct. 16, the AF issued its first call for firms to compete for these larger SBIR contracts under a new type of solicitation, called a “commercial solutions opening.” The call went to companies already holding Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. The winners will be announced in Austin. (Source: Breaking Defense 02/25/20) https://breakingdefense.com/2020/02/air-force-to-pump-new-tech-startups-with-10m-awards/