The world is changing more quickly than ever before, and new technologies, software, and systems are being developed at an accelerating pace. Defense innovation leaders are working to adapt and innovate by implementing new mechanisms to acquire and deploy advanced technology. Bridges must be built between the defense community and the investors and innovators that are developing mission-critical technologies. This transformation presents opportunity for both sides.
Maintaining our national security requires the Department of Defense, and the industry supporting it, to think and interact differently. In the 2018 National Defense Strategy, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis correctly asserted that to maintain our edge, the United States will have to incorporate rapidly developing technologies at the “speed of relevance.” To execute, the DoD is cultivating a defense innovation hub in Austin, Texas — engaging into the whole technology ecosystem, not just the traditional defense companies.
Interconnecting the defense and innovation ecosystems is easy to say, hard to do. Doing business with the US Government can be cumbersome and bureaucratic. However, pathways exist that are more streamlined than ever before, as new acquisition authorities and programs come online. The defense procurement landscape — literally hundreds of programs, budgets, and organizations — is complex but rich with opportunity.
Download our ebook to learn how to bridge the Valley of Death in the Defense Acquisition System using the Materiel Innovation Pipeline:
Grayline Defense supports innovators, from startups to large companies, with the right mechanisms to navigate the defense procurement environment. We are a team of diverse, connected, industry-experienced professionals with a passion for technology and national security. We know the organizations, programs, and problem sets. Our team of advisors is deeply connected in the defense, acquisition, technology, and venture capital spaces. We help complex military problems and effective commercial solutions find each other — matching the innovation with the contracts and funding to make progress happen.
Informed insights to help understand the emerging government acquisition and defense innovation activities, with specific focus on Austin
Gather, curate, and deliver business intelligence on relevant customer activity, with contextual implications for your operations and strategies
Short, medium, and long-term strategy development support to adapt products and business models to customer needs and funding vehicles
Cross-functional teams of experienced professionals with unique domain expertise, deep networks among both private and government organizations, and a strong track record of execution in military, government, and business
Working on a retainer basis, we pair your lead for defense business development with a point person on the Grayline team. Through a cadence of weekly or biweekly calls, we marshall the necessary resources to provide you counsel and connectivity with the defense innovation community.
A step beyond the Advisory service, our Sentry product serves as your base of operations for the emerging defense innovation ecosystem in Austin. At a fraction of the cost of having your own FTE + overhead, we provide a cadence of intelligence and insights on the defense innovation ecosystem, and couple this with ad hoc on-demand services to best represent you and your interests within the community.
Our team of cross-functional experts works with you to identify defense business opportunities within your internal product suite, capabilities, business model, and posture. The capability assessment results in a recommendation and plan to develop existing or potential offerings for the defense community.
Building upon the Capability Assessment, we work with your executive team to map out the right strategy and tactics to win. We help map your products to the right organizations and funding vehicles within the defense innovation community. Central to this effort is establishing effective product positioning and communications planning to ensure your products connect with the right buyers at the right time.
With a solid strategy in hand, we work with your execution team to augment and support the tactics identified to ensure the right opportunities are secured efficiently and effectively. We help you deal with the inevitable curveballs that arise, and help you overcome them. We clear the path to ensure the wanted contracts are secured.
