I n t e g r i t y - S e r v i c e - E x c e l l e n c e

AFWERX

Connecting Innovators, Accelerating Results

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https://www.afwerx.af.mil https://youtu.be/it7xgtoc59s

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6. Spark Tank

1. Innovation Hubs

(Vegas, DC, Austin)

5. Tech Accelerator

4. Community Development

2. Spark

3. AFWERX Challenges

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AFWERX:

A fusion of capabilities

that connects innovators

and accelerates results.

6 Capabilities:

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AFWERX INNOVATION HUBS:

-Vegas, Austin, and DC-

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INNOVATION HUBS: AUSTIN

AFWERX leases space from Capital

Factory that is housed in the Omni Hotel

downtown Austin Texas.

https://www.afwerx.af.mil/austin-

hub.html

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SPARK CELL: Wing/Base level Innovation

Spark

facilitating AF intrapreneurship

at the BASE/WING LEVEL

“Freestyle

Friday”

https://youtu.be/2YPeQ9FQeXk

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Spark Tank

access to mentors and a

competitive driver

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Spark Tank

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Saving Airmen Health & $100M per year

Air Force Impact

New design beat cost estimates by 80%

($2M saved); projected $2B cost

avoidance in medical bills; design can

be easily produced at wing levels

AFWERX Approach

Spark Tank idea led to 4 day Rapid

Prototyping Sprint @ AFX-V producing

user-led designed MVP platform suitable

for integration into KC-135 fleet

Airmen & AFWERX Launch

Event

AFWERX Sprint

Workshop

Defined Solution

Requirements

Prototype Develop

MVP Delivery

Initial Testing

Contract and Fielding

Challenge: KC-135 boom

operator instructors incur

physical damage (stresses to

Airmen’s back, shoulder, neck &

arms) from duties as a result of

current instructor platform

design

“Our Vegas AFWERX Workshop was extremely productive I wanted to personally thank ALL of you for coordinating and

making it a reality, you ALL did an incredible job! thank you for your support and advancing our innovation to the next

level! On behalf of 800+ USAF KC-135 Boom Operators, I thank you ALL for changing the lives of our entire career

field!:” - MSgt Bartek "Bach" Bachleda, USAF Squadron Superintendent, Kandahar AF, Afghanistan

2/18 6/18 6/18 6/18 6/18 Fall

18

Winter

18/19

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IMSC

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Base Level “Spark Tank”

2019 Air Force Installation and Mission

Support Center Innovation Rodeo

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AFWERX CHALLENGES

www.afwerxchallenge.com

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Creating Advanced Helmets Faster & Cheaper

Air Force Impact Reduced contract and prototype total development

time from estimated 4½ years to 1 year. Vendors

ideate/develop/build/test/deliver 3 prototypes.

Increased competition and innovation--10

collaborative companies enter prototype process with

innovative components sourced from non-traditional

industry.

AFWERX Approach Collaborated with LCMC/ATAC and other experts

to define the problem, crowd-source a challenge,

and promote innovative solutions via collaboration

and resources. Addition of non-traditional

companies with expertise in functional areas of

helmet development brought new ideas and

solutions. This approach provided several vendor

options for prototyping and testing.

Airmen & AFWERX Launch

Event

AFWERX Problem

Workshop

Launch Challenge

Protoype Develop

MVP Delivery

Initial Testing

Potential Contract

Challenge: The Air Force needs a new Fixed-wing

helmet. Current helmets are not are heavy and not

optimized to facilitate an effective human-machine

interface.

“It’s not only exciting but very impressive what we’ve been able to accomplish over a span of 20 weeks. We have

been able to reach many non-traditional defense companies, that until now have been unresponsive to traditional

market research methods….” Program Manager, US Air Force Aircrew Performance Program Office.

7/18 8/18 10/18 Now 5/19 Summer

19

Fall

19

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IMSC 3 MSG CHALLENGES

Air Force Impact

Improve and innovate processes, decrease

waste associated with time and resources,

and increase customer satisfaction.

AFWERX Approach

Connect partners within AFWERX ecosystem

to provide viable solutions to identified

problems and issues within Air Force Mission

Support Groups

1/19 3/19 3/19 6/19 9/19 12/19

Ideascale closes

IMSC Spark Tank

3 ideas selected

3 AFWERX challenges

3 Contracts executed

Successful implementation

Challenge: Identify problems and issues Airmen face at all levels within Mission Support

Groups (MSG) Air Force wide.

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IMSC UAS LAND SURVEY

Air Force Impact Decrease costs, produce faster results, eliminate redundant and recurring surveys, automate surveys via remote means on pre-set routes, reduce manpower requirements, increase accuracy of data, and integrate multiple data sets centrally stored in cloud environment.

AFWERX Approach

Connect technology partners to address the

barriers associated with operating UAS on

DoD installations and storing data in cloud

environment.

1/19 3/19 5/19 7/19 12/19 12/20

Project identified and team selected

UAS vendor sourced

Test Flight at Camp

Bullis

Program approved

Implement Air Force

Wide

Expand scope of program

Challenge: The Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center (AFIMSC) requires the capability to conduct low cost Aerial

Mapping and Imagery collection utilizing small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) on DoD Installations.

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Community Development

convening force to grow

and engage the virtual and

physical community

Community Development

Examples Austin

● Academia UT- Austin

● ROTC UT - Austin

● Capital Factory ecosystem ● Commercial industry

● SXSW

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Community Development

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IDEASCALE

usaf.ideascalegov.com ← no “www”

● Airmen submit ideas to improve the Air Force at Airforce.ideascalegov.com

● Airmen vote thumbs up/down for ideas

● AFWERX assist to match idea with a solution (ex: commercial contract)

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Tech Accelerator http://afwerxdc.org/technology-accelerator/

Develop a commercially viable entrepreneurial business base by familiarizing companies to national security

problems and how to engage effectively with the government. AFWERX technology startup accelerator is a boot

camp for small businesses that offers high impact mentorship, and a fast-paced (2-3 month) curriculum, guiding

promising teams through the processes of problem/solution validation and business model validation.

https://www.techstars.com/programs/air-force-program/

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SIBR

https://www.afwerx.af.mil/sbir.html

● SBIR:

○ Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - DOD Program

○ Funding $2.5B every year for innovative small businesses.

○ Contracts of between $50K and $3M for US companies with less

than 500 employees.

○ Awardees can receive a sole-source contract from any federal

agency.

● Open topic

○ AFWERX has “Open Topic”

○ Dual Purpose Companies with existing commercial products or

services that may also be useful to the Air Force are invited to

apply.

○ Open topic is intended to be a call for open ideas and technologies

that cover topics that may not be currently listed.

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Most Recent SBIR Round

16 Texas Companies

• $2.86M to Texas companies

• $1.84M to companies in Austin

re:3D Inc Houston TX

Aviture Inc. Austin TX

Military Pilot Supply of Texas, Inc. dba Fly Boys Spring TX

Kubos Corporation Denton TX

Your6, Inc. Austin TX

FitChimp Inc (DBA FitRankings) Austin TX

Silicon Space Technology Corporation dba VORAGO Te Austin TX

Texas High Energy Materials, LLC Austin TX

SafeFlights Inc.  /D/B/A 14bis Supply Tracking Houston TX

Senseye, Inc. Austin TX

re:3D Inc Houston TX

ICON Technology, Inc. Austin TX

Salty Cloud, PBC Austin TX

HTX Labs, LLC Houston TX

Third Insight (Visual Semantics, Inc.) Austin TX

Quantum Interface, LLC Austin TX

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Questions?

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