• Germany– Engineering– Quality
• China– Work Ethic– Cost Savings
• Japan– Manufacturing Efficiency– Miniaturization
• United States …
Countries’ Core Capabilities
Our Story
• Bridger Photonics’ unlikely beginnings– 3 MSU Grad Students moved away– Returned to Bozeman to raise families– Wrote 3 proposals for government funding– No external investment– Almost ended before it even started– Hit 2 of first 3 proposals– Leadership by default
Randy Reibel Pete Roos Jay Brasseur
2007
Strong MSUcollaboration
Hit 2 of initial 3 proposals
Laser
Receiver
Meth chemicals
Directly in line with why we wanted to live here
Meth lab detection
2008
Range: ~900 m
Bridger Facility
Retro Location
Range: ~900 m
Bridger Facility
Retro Location
Long-range distance
measurements
Wrote21 proposals
in 2008
Short-range distance
measurements
4 EmployeesHit first proposal we
wrote together as Bridger employees
High resolutiondistance measurement
20097 EmployeesDelivered first distance
measurement prototype
Opened additionalMSU collaboration
for imaging
Realized that imaging was very important
Old New
Sand DVE Test Chamber Chamber Off – Sandy Target Chamber On – Sandy Target
Return Signal Through Sand Cloud
Developed prototype laser for gas sensing
201013 Employees
Delivered first infrared commercial prototype
laser
Company jackets
Vice Pres.Reibel at
summer retreatFirst full product release:Distance measurement system
Developed focus control commercial prototype
Bridger Photonics Today
• Core technologies– Precision LADAR
• Highest resolution distancemeasurements in the world
– Precision LIDAR• Only compact high-energy
mid-infrared laser in the world
– Advanced Imaging• Only existing high-flexibility MEMS
membrane mirror in the world
• Performance – Rapid growth
• 3+ years of operation, • 2 → 17 employees, • $110k → >$2M annual revenues
• Government funding gave us our start• We are now actively capping this revenue stream
Success With Proposals
31% 33% 42% 70%
Growth
22%
• This growth should put us in the Inc. 500 fastest growing small businesses in the U.S. for 2011
• First volume commercial deal last week• Goal: 50% of revenues from commercial by 2013
Projected
The Idea?
• Ideas are a very small and easy part of innovation
• The idea isn’t even 0.1% of the journey
Special Start?
• Bridger Photonics’ unlikely beginnings– 3 MSU Grad Students moved away– Returned to Bozeman to raise families– Wrote 3 proposals for government funding– No external investment– Almost ended before it even started– Leadership by default
Randy Reibel Pete Roos Jay Brasseur
Special Planning?
Bridger Photonics Core Value #3: We deeply value one another, our families, our community, and a sense of balance in life
Stable Equilibrium
What is Innovation?
• The heart of innovation is converting ideas into products that help society
• Innovation is the blood, sweat, tears, sacrifice, perseverance, and passion.
• Innovation is never, ever, ever giving up.
Innovation Is About the People
RandyReibel
SandyReibel
LisaRoos
PeteRoos
• These people will enable future job creation
NathanGreenfield
CharlieKeith
Eric Seger
TrentJackson
CeceliaRossetti
DaveKozicki
AaronKreitinger Aaron
Anderson
ChrisWilson
TrentBerg
BrantKaylor
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
"I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
Guidance
The Lord of the RingsGandalf and Frodo Baggins, Chapter 'The Shadow of the Past'
The Problem
• Congressman’s recent visit to Bozeman and discussion with business leaders:
"What would it take for you to start hiring again?"
Improved Economy:Job Growth
Businesses:Improved Economy
Not willing to take risk
The Solution
• Go back to our country’s core capability:
Invest in Innovation
• Mitigate the risk for innovators and reward them if they succeed.
• Here is one example of how to do that …
MSU’s Role in Our Success• Professional training
– Graduate education– Proposal writing– Grant management and performance– Contacts and networking
• Strong research collaborations– MSU Spectrum Lab (Randy Babbitt, Zeb Barber)– MSU Engineering (David Dickensheets, Joe Shaw, Kevin Repasky)– MSU Physics (David Klumpar)
• Flexible employment– Spectrum Lab able to employ us part time to help transition (w/ COI management plans)
• Equipment availability– Can write use agreements into proposal budgets if not collaborative
• Employee pool– More than 80% of technical employees are MSU grads
• Related Centers and Programs– TechLink (Ray), Optec (Joe), TechRanch (Gary & John),
MMEC (Mark), MMF (David & Phil)
Risk Mitigation
My Challenge to You
• Let our country’s Core Capability guide you– Invest in Innovation
• Figure out how to mitigate the risk of innovation– Follow MSU’s lead– Many other possible methods for other styles of business:– Lenders, real estate, manufacturers …
• There’s no prescription. You must get personal!