Welcome to today's Tech Talk
with the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate
I'm joined by Melissa Ho from the Silicon Valley Innovation Program or SVIP.
Today we're going to talk a little bit about the
program background and how you can apply for funding opportunities.
So Melissa, just take us through an overview real quick.
You know, what is the SVIP planned? What was the motivation behind this program?
Yeah, thanks for having me.
The motivation behind the program
was really realizing that there was a
huge community of talent that the
government hasn't historically been able to connect with
and we felt that there was a lot of technology,
commercial technology out there that we really want
to be able to get access to and to
support Homeland Security's mission and
the many men and women that worked for
DHS and so we decided to really get
together and come up with a program that
would allow us to actually work with
start-ups and reach them and engage them
in a way that would allow them
to find it easier to work with the government too.
So we developed this program that is structured so that it is
educating them about who DHS is, what we're trying to accomplish.
What our pain points and problem sets are.
Through various outreach events and industry days
and then actually coming up with with a way to streamline funding to them.
Okay.
So then ultimately what we're able to do is identify problem sets where
companies start-ups have commercial technologies
that can be adapted to address DHS's needs.
Okay.
And what we do is, we provide that accelerated funding
to them to do that amount of product development so they don't,
they don't pivot off of their commercial road map,
they are still working towards a commercial solution.
but may have a secondary market with DHS.
I see.
So, with the funding that we provide which
is non diluted, the companies keep their IP.
And, and then we also connect them with end users to provide test and pilot
opportunities to get feedback iterate the product
and ultimately help solve a Homeland Security need that we have.
That's awesome.
So, I want to jump back to that point you said
earlier about, you know, using commercially available
technology and how this isn't necessarily asking companies to pivot away.
Right.
Instead use, maybe, what they're already building and say
if there's another option that would serve this community,
you know, could you make something like that?
Can you talk a little more about the benefit of using those commercially available technologies?
Yeah, absolutely, so I mean, the way where the benefit
to using commercial technologies is the fact that companies are able to continue
down their commercial path and transition a technology that they were
already planning on transitioning and that allows us, the government, to be able to leverage
all the private-sector investment that has already gone into that company,
and to use government funding to adapt that product.
So that it still addresses a commercial need out there but, it it gives them
a new customer. And we want to be able to be.
We believe we're a good customer for them.
Yeah. And when we talk about end users in the Homeland Security Enterprise,
who are we talking about? Who are some of the end users for just technology and DHS?
Sure, I mean, DHS covers many missions we have a lot of
aviation security, border security, cyber security.
As well as our support to the First Responder and Emergency Response community.
So, a lot of the technologies that we believe are out there can
significantly help agents, officers in the field, as well as police and fire.
Yeah, that's awesome.
And so you mentioned a little bit about the funding model that we have.
Can you go into a little bit more detail about this non-dilutive funding, what that means?
So, what, what that means is that the funding that we can provide
and it's up to 200,000 over or up to 800,000 over four phases.
Okay.
That is allowing the company to develop a proof of concept,
develop a prototype, and then pilot that in operations
and then test it in various operational scenarios.
And all the funding that we have is not taking equity in the company.
Oh, okay.
We believe that we're we're basically helping to solve a need that we have.
So we're willing to fund that that amount of product development to get us to where we need to be.
So okay, I'm sure one of the questions we're gonna get is, you know,
how do I apply for this opportunity? So can you take us through the application process?
Yeah, absolutely, so we will periodically put out problem sets.
Okay
And those are considered, we call them topic calls
and those problem sets describe sort of the mission that we're trying to accomplish
as well as the pain points that need to be addressed for an agent in the field,
or an officer in the field and, and generally
the sort of the technology areas that, that we're looking at.
But, we don't want to prescribe what the solution is.
We want to be able to say, this is our, this is where we need help.
Can, do you have a technology that can be used to address that, that need.
If a company sees a problem set and decides... hey, I have a technology
that, that I think can apply to that but I need to do some amount of tweaking of
that product to get it to where you need to be.
Then basically, we ask that company to submit their 10 page application.
It's a, it's a fairly straightforward application. It asks companies to outline
what's innovative about your technology? You know, who are your investors?
You know, who do you have as customers currently and what would,
what would be the work statement? What would be the the work program that,
that you would need to go through in order to tweak and,
and do product development to get us to where we need to be.
OK
So once you submit the application, we review those applications, on a either
rolling or quarterly basisdepending on the topic. If we think it's a good fit,
then we will ask the company to schedule a 15-minute oral presentation, oral pitch.
Fifteen minutes, Wow, that's awesome.
Exactly, and it's a pitch like it's done in the start-up community.
So we're marrying as much as possible the way start-ups
are used to interacting in that community.
And our reviewers are both end-users, operators, technical,
subject matter experts. So we really look and look at the application and the pitches
to see if we think this is a good fit for what we're what we're trying to accomplish.
If the pitch is good then we give the company a funding decision
up or down, the same, within 24 hours, or the same day.
Wow! Yeah. That's quick.
Yeah, and, we felt that, that was important.
You know start-ups don't have
a lot of time to wait on us and so we just
need to be able to make a decision
whether we want to fund them or not once
we once we make that decision the
contracting time usually takes about 45 days Okay.
We've been averaging 45 days to contract so that's that's pretty
streamlined for government, I'd say and, and that's, that's where we've been
seeing a lot of successes start-ups coming to wanting to work with us
because we've been able to get the money much more quickly and in a manner
you know, where there, where the technology is still relevant.
Mm-hmm. And this sounds like it benefits both the start-ups and the end users
Absolutely. Because if you have these really
important, you know, driving challenges that they need to overcome.
You know. it is great to get those solutions out as quickly as possible
but also in a way that you know that it works for them.
Yes. That's great. So, to review,
the application process. Go to the website check out the topic areas
and the website is up on your screen. You can check it out.
Apply, 10 page application Then you might get the oral pitch phase,
Yeah, And then you'll get an up-or-down decision.
Yes. And then the contracting offers within 45 days.
Yes, yes, yeah Very good. So, I want to know
I guess, a little bit more about the current funding opportunities.
Can you outline a little bit of what's currently available?
Yeah, sure, So the the current funding opportunities which you can which you
can see on our website, are in areas to support the First Responder community.
Okay, so, some of the new areas that we just announced are in
energy harvesting fabrics. Okay.
And how can we take the fabric that the clothing that First Responders
are wearing to power some of the devices that are that they're carrying anyway.
Oh, Wow! Exactly.
3d dynamic mapping is another area. So, how can we help the First Responders
that are in buildings understand the structural and dynamic changes
that may be occurring in that building and getting that information out to the
incident commander. And then in identity and anti-spoofing of non person entities
or devices essentially. So think sensors, wearables and the fact that there's
all this technology that may be used that you know we want to make sure aren't
susceptible to vulnerability or attack either.
And then the fourth area is in cyber-security for the finance sector.
Okay.
So, we're working with the financial services sector and a partnership
with them to improve cyber-security for them in an active cyber defense manner.
So, moving target defense, intrusion deception, and isolation containment.
So we're looking for a really good innovative start-up solutions in those
spaces and are really excited to see some applications.
That's great. These are some big areas it sounds like there's a
good representation of, you know, we have the First Responder community
and a lot of the challenges that they're encountering in terms of
how technology is evolving and you know, what they need to be ready.
Ready to I guess, have information or better you know utilize technology to do
their jobs you know safer more effectively.
Absolutely. But also the financial sector, that's fascinating.
Yeah. That's really interesting.
We have a question from Facebook. So what is the start-up or
small business threshold on these opportunities?
As far as start-up and small business threshold we're talking about companies who have
not had a contract with the government within the last 12 months.
Okay And that's a specific type of government contract.
So, if you have any questions about the eligibility feel free to send
us an email and let us know. If you've had a contract and you're not sure just
let us know. And, but, ultimately we're looking to partner and work with
companies that have not historically worked with the government over the past.
And so that's usually no one who's had a government contract that's required your
books to be audited within the last twelve months.
I see. So it's not necessarily a size threshold or anything like that.
Yeah just whether or not they've had a contract
within the last year. Right. Exactly so the way we also look at
it is that because the program is looking for a proof of concept
at least in the first phase within the first three to six months.
We're typically looking at early-stage start-ups
you know, that are interested in that $200,000 up to
$200,000 to do the proof-of-concept.
Okay So typically that means you know,
an early-stage start-up that is starting to work on a commercial solution or has
potentially some customers but aren't necessarily as mature or established as
some of the more later stage companies.
Gotcha. That doesn't mean that there's not a
mid-sized start-up that is interested in checking out a new
vertical, vertical and testing it out with us
So we've seen a large swath of them but ultimately it's up to the
company of whether or not they think they're a good fit for us and whether
they're eligible for the program. Gotcha.
And the email address you can use is available on the website.
The website again, is at the bottom of the screen
you can check it out and find the email address there and send them specific
questions if you have further things that need clarification.
So you mentioned the start-ups and we're talking about you know thresholds
you know companies that haven't necessarily had a government contract
in the past 12 months. What are these communities like that
SPIP is engaging with? You know, start-ups, disruptors,
What kinds of communities are we reaching out to?
They are, they're all over the country and world.
We've been connecting with a lot of start-ups whether they're in co-working
spaces or in accelerators or working through VCs, venture capitalists.
And I mean these are companies that have amazing technology,
that are doing really interesting things that we think can actually benefit
the government as well. So it's been, it's been a great
to connect with a lot of the companies. Whether it's you know,
evening meet-ups or tech conferences and actually seeing what they,
they have to offer it's been very interesting.
I was going to ask. How do we, you know. How do we engage with these
communities because they are all over the place.
Yeah. You know how do we reach these folks?
Part of it is through tech conferences part of it is through
venture capitalists and accelerators that I'm connecting with around the country.
A lot of community leaders that are in various hot spots around the
country, have been reaching out trying to make sure that our funding opportunities
are available to their start-ups and so they've asked us to come and speak at
various events and I'm happy to do that. Wow. That's great.
So I want to ask a little bit about what the impact that you've
seen so far is through this program. What are some of the, you know,
effects on the research and operations at DHS that you've seen?
Yeah, it's been interesting. So we've been doing this for
18 months. We've had 20 start-ups funded and in that time it's been really
amazing to see start-ups connecting with end-users in the field getting feedback,
getting, iterating collecting collecting data to improve their product and
you know, in some cases we're actually seeing a solution in six months that an
operator is saying you know I want to buy 10,000 of these.
I want to see this turn into a commercial product that I'm going to buy.
So there's that. There's also the fact that, you know,
a good number of our start-ups have raised you know, eight million dollar A round,
twenty nine million B round and told us that it's a as a result of you know a
project that they're working on with us that they've been able to tell their
their venture capitalists that you know they're working with a customer that
needs this product and that has helped them secure some additional rounds of capital.
That's awesome Yeah.
It's fantastic. Can you say a little bit more about the
relationship between the government and this and you know innovative community
in the private sector or or where these startups are coming from and the
end-users that sort of trifecta, you know, what is the relationship kind of turning
into between those groups? It's in a time that I've been in government
it's exciting because it's this true collaborative working
environment that we've that we've established.
Basically finding the tech, working with the end-users, and working
with the companies or investors that are really wanting to see these
companies successful. We want to see these companies be successful
as well because in the end, we want a commercial product
that we can buy and use and have an impact in in our operations.
So it's, it's been a it's been a truly collaborative type of work arrangement.
It's been very exciting indeed. And it sound like there's a lot of trust
that comes out of this relationship too, in terms of
you know, again, end user being able to trust in the fact that this technology
will work for them, that it was built with them in mind.
Yes And that the innovators understand
that yeah, I can trust that there is demand for this that I'm creating
Yeah and I can trust that, you know,
it is addressing a genuine need out there so it's going to be
something that's in demand.
Yeah, absolutely. The start-ups that I've come
across have been really excited to work with DHS because they see our public
safety our homeland security mission and being able to talk directly with
someone in the field who is keeping them safe is is very impactful for sure.
That's great. Another question. Just what's been the response to this program?
I guess in the business community in the start-up community?
you know what have you heard? What feedback have you gotten?
Yeah, and the response the response has been very positive.
We have, there's a number of venture capitalists out there that we've
seen have referred their start-ups to our program.
So that's, that's a very positive flavor Of the nine topics that
we've announced over the course of the time
that we've been been in the program's been out in operation, we've seen almost
200 applications from around the country. We've funded 20 companies from around
the country and we're starting to see a lot of international applications.
Really? Okay so international applicants can still you know,
go through this program? Yes, we can fund international companies.
We're looking for the best talent and you know, start-ups innovative companies
are out there and and you know we've got some hard problems to solve.
Yeah, fantastic. Okay, so based on what you've seen in this program so far,
what advice would you give to companies out there
either just about you know, how they should apply the
app to this program or just kind of insights that you've noticed over the
you know, past 18 months or so. What advice would you give?
So, the advice I'd give, is you know, try to understand
you know, DHS. Try to learn more about our mission and get a flavor for what we're
trying to accomplish and realize that we actually have a number of different
agencies that fall under DHS and, if you think there's a good fit for one of
the topics that we have out there really spend time in thinking about your application.
I want, we have end users and technical experts that are really taking
a look and doing the due diligence and making sure that this is something that
will be valuable and useful in the field. And so we do, we do make sure that
there's something there there. So as a company make sure that you have
something there, there. As well. We can, we can, kind of sift through
the marketing material. But we really want to see what is, what truly
makes you stand out. And so we want we want for companies to differentiate
themselves from, from everything else that we might be seeing as well.
So I think it's it's important for companies to make sure that they spend time
focusing on their application and making sure that we understand what
they're trying to accomplish so that we can we can benefit. And you may have some
really great technology. Yeah
But if you don't tell us how it'll fit into what we're trying to accomplish,
we may not, get a chance to work together.
What other engagements are coming up down the pipeline for you
in terms of where you'll be engaging folks in the next year or so?
Yeah, so, I mean ultimately like I mentioned we're looking for the best talent,
we're looking for innovation, we're looking for the best solutions.
So, I'm making my way around the country to as many of the innovation hot-spots
as there are. Helping people understand DHS is looking for their help.
We're not just silicon valley-based. You know. Even though it's in name and that we are
seeing talent, everywhere. I'm gonna be making my way around the country
trying to find that talent and that next great start-up that we can be working with.
does SVIP work with other DHS components to solve some of these
problems or to introduce new topic areas?
Absolutely, that's where we get the bulk of our topics from.
We are working directly with operational agencies, whether it's TSA,
Customs and Border Protection in the Coast Guard to help
have them identify what their problem sets are what their pain points are.
So they're the ones that are writing helping us write up our topics they're
the ones that are presenting at industry days and they're the ones that are
helping us evaluate. You know, fund, don't fund. You know, I'm gonna use that,
I'm not gonna use that. So I mean, to have a customer and an end user
to be able to say that, I think is a huge validator for a company and their product.
You know, in many ways we're a customer looking for solutions.
And so that's that's why we're we're here in the community
looking, and we have a program that allows us to get funding to them quickly.
That's awesome. So what do you enjoy most about this work?
You know, being involved with the SVIP?
So the thing that's the most fulfilling is to be able to see
how quickly we can see commercial technologies applied in operations.
You know, being in an R&D organization sometimes it takes a little while to
see the results of in the fruits of your labor but working with start-ups we've
been able to see returns in six months, eight months, nine months.
And these are, these are, very fast when it comes to technology in the government.
No. That's great and it sounds like it is a nice option for somebody who's looking
for you know, if thinking from an end-user perspective like I need a solution, and I
need it soon and it's having a confidence that these other longer-term
research and development efforts are ongoing. But, in the meantime,
If there's a commercially available or a soon-to-be commercially available option,
that they can benefit from. Absolutely.
Sounds like this is a great option for not only those end-users but
also those start-ups to say like, yes, we can help each other here.
Absolutely, yeah. Especially when there's commercial
technology out there already. Why shouldn't we be leveraging that and
making it cheaper, but for us to buy as well?
Okay, so we have one more question from Facebook.
Can SVIP contract via a GSA schedule 70? So, the way with the SVIP contracts is
actually using something called the Other Transaction Authority.
It is specifically designed to work with non-traditional government contractors,
but that doesn't mean that companies who are interested in going through the GSA
schedule 70 can't try and go through that route to work with some of our
customers and end-users Okay, good to know.
If you have any more questions please feel free to post them,
or you can visit the website and email the SVIP team through there.
Melissa, thank you so much for joining us today.
Absolutely! Alright. Thank you all and we'll see you next time.