| - Program Info - | - FAQs - | |
| Overview | FAQs / Navy SBIR | |
| Description | FAQs / All SBIR | |
| Phase II | - Legal Info - | |
| DoD SBIR Tutorial | Eligibility | |
| Getting Started | Policy / Law | |
| Getting Paid | Fraud, Waste, and Abuse |
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 | Anil Kale (https://www.linkedin.com/in/anikale/) Anil has over 25 years of experience commercializing chips, embedded systems, cloud, AI, and SaaS software through companies like McKinsey, Accenture, Micron, and Cisco. He has played a key role in 3 startups - one which went public, one which exited without raising outside capital, and one that was recapitalized after raising $68m from tier 1 VCs and strategics. Anil helped commercialize the CMOS image sensor while at Micron, playing a key role in scaling that business from $16m to $749m in 4 years, and helped scale a fitness on demand business from $4m to $125m in 4 years. Currently, Anil helps startups and business units of larger companies accelerate revenue, boost productivity, raise capital, and monetize IP using an owner-operator approach. He enjoys mentoring young founders and investigating the potential impact of new hardware and software technologies. Anil holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, a master's in electrical engineering from Northeastern University and a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo. Anil has sampled pizza in over 80 countries and the slopes on 5 continents. His goal is to ski on those last two continents before that opportunity is gone forever. | |
 | Jon Kondo (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonkondo/) Jon Kondo is a seasoned technology executive who has spent his career helping high-growth data, analytics, and AI/ML companies scale and succeed. Having held CEO, COO, and CRO roles, he's led teams to deliver over $500M in revenue, built go-to-market strategies, and guided companies through critical moments like M&A integrations and funding rounds. Whether working closely with boards or executive teams, Jon brings a hands-on, strategic approach to leadership that drives real business outcomes. Over the years, Jon has built and led global teams across the Americas,EMEA, and APAC, growing revenue at companies like Appen, Host Analytics, and Oracle/Hyperion. He co-founded OpsPanda, taking it from idea to acquisition, and helped reposition and expand companies like Heavy.ai and Host Analytics. He has worked across sectors from telecom to finance to federal and state government. Jon has a proven track record of accelerating growth, building strong teams, and helping businesses navigate complex markets with confidence. Jon continues to advise and council enterprises on go to market and general start up strategy. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. | |
 | Mark Peterson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-peterson-advisor/) Mark is an entrepreneur, technologist, investor, and mentor. He is Chief Financial Officer and board director at BMNT, driving company value through his extensive experience in delivering solutions to both commercial and non-commercial customers. Mark is a founder and Managing Partner of Farallon Research, responsible for coordinating sourcing, due diligence, investment execution, and partnership financials. Additionally, Mark is Managing Partner of Strategic Insight Advisors managing a sidecar fund for partnership investments. Previously, Mark was Senior Director/VP of Programs for General Dynamics with annual P/L of $200M executing $500M+ programs. He has implemented complex space and intelligence systems deployed world-wide. Mark grew his part of the business from $13M to $200M including execution of $1B in space development programs. Mark's customers included both the DoD services and intelligence organizations with next generation technology requirements for MASINT, information technology, and Cyber systems. Mark's career started in engineering where he implemented space and intelligence collection systems using information technology systems adapting commercially-sourced technologies to provide both innovative and cost effective solutions. Mark is an Honored graduate of Oregon Institute of Technology, with a degree in Computer Science with a minor in electrical engineering. Mark is a member of the Defense Innovation Network (Venture), the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum (SBIR), advisor to the Silicon Catalyst Accelerator, a senior mentor to MIT's Innovation Sandbox program which mentors a hundred companies annually, a board advisor to 20 commercial companies and their investors, and leads the partnership with the manufacturing innovation institutes. | |
 | Ray Owen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayowen/) Ray is an experienced technologist, operator, and advisor with a focus on novel use cases for enterprise technologies. He is an outside advisor to H4XLabs, an enterprise accelerator that provides support for Deep Tech company founders tackling hard problems from concept through scaling. As a personal project, he is an advisor to student-founded startups affiliated with Michigan State University's Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Early in Ray's technical career, he focused on information and communications theory. He had the opportunity to participate in the development of an early precision GPS receiver for high- dynamics suborbital flight, and on speech recognition in high-noise environments, which utilized hidden Markov models (a very early version of generative AI). Following graduate school, Ray relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, now working for a national laboratory operated by GTE Government Systems (later part of General Dynamics). He became part of the then-emerging cybersecurity community, working at the intersection of advanced networking technologies and national security policy. While there, he had the opportunity to grow from a systems engineer to a program manager and eventually to the general manager for a 1500-person, $700M division. During that time, Ray gained experience in making strategic, non-equity investments in early- stage startups as a way of gaining privileged access to emerging commercial tech. This experience has informed two subsequent strategic accelerators for DoD, which have worked with over 30 enterprise tech startups. Ray holds a BS in electrical engineering from Michigan State University, and a M.Eng. degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where his thesis was on computationally efficient source coding for speech recognition. His interests include scuba diving, aviation, and astrophotography. | |
 | Ray Edwards(https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrayedwards/) "Helps mission-based companies identify adjacent commercial markets and funding pathways for their dual-use technologies." Ray Edwards is a deep-tech investor and commercialization leader focused on helping startups transition from early pilots to scalable adoption across government and commercial markets. He is the founder of J.R. Edwards Consulting, where he advises early-stage deep-tech and defense companies on zero-to-one growth, go-to-market strategy, and capital formation. Ray currently serves as a Senior Commercialization Advisor at BMNT, working through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) with companies emerging from Hacking for Defense (H4D). In this role, he increases companies' investment readiness while identifying non-dilutive government funding and complementary commercial capital. He ensures that as technical roadmaps and TRLs advance, they remain aligned with commercial market needs and/or Department of Defense priorities. Previously, Ray held senior leadership roles across startups and global enterprises, including Vice President of Market Development at an edge AI company and General Manager at Yamaha Ventures. He also served in leadership roles at HP New Ventures, Aeris Communications, and IBM Global Consulting Services, where he built and scaled venture initiatives, strategic partnerships, M&A and divestitures, and platform businesses-delivering ~$100M in revenue and supporting multi-billion-dollar enterprise transformation programs. Ray serves on the leadership team of Wharton Aerospace Ventures, a by-invitation nonprofit convening senior executives, investors, founders, and policymakers across the national-security industrial base through closed-door policy forums in Washington, DC. He is also a member of the Defense Entrepreneur Forum and the Defense Innovation Council-Austin. Ray holds an MBA from The Wharton School with a concentration in Finance and Strategy. | |
 | Reid Lewis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidlewis/) Reid Lewis is an experienced product management executive with deep expertise in software, SaaS, payments, and IoT. A veteran of dozens of innovative product launches, Reid brings a balanced approach that blends tactical execution with strategic vision. He has led efforts across the full product lifecycle-from opportunity identification and relationship development to requirements gathering, agile development, and user testing. Reid has a strong track record of bringing complex technologies to market while ensuring compliance, security, and scalability. He partners closely with engineering teams to execute sprints and drive product success, and he's known for his collaborative leadership style and commitment to user-centered design. Throughout his career, Reid has successfully led products through multiple releases, coordinating across implementation, operations, and maintenance to ensure long-term viability and impact. | |
 | Rusty Cumpston (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rusty-cumpston-06765b5/) Rusty is an experienced CEO and repeat founder with multiple successful exits bringing new software and hardware technologies to market. Throughout his career, Rusty has repeatedly sought out transformative opportunities where cutting-edge technology intersects with urgent real-world problems. He has been an early investor and founding leader in multiple deep tech ventures, helping shape companies across optical networking, server virtualization, smart city IoT, and cybersecurity domains. Rusty's experience spans executive leadership, product strategy, and operational execution-guiding teams from ideation through market launch and growth while ensuring solutions remain technically strong and commercially viable. Known for his collaborative leadership and strategic vision, Rusty partners closely with engineering teams, industry partners, standards bodies, and customers to drive innovations that balance technical rigor with real-world applicability. | |
 | Stephen R. Douty (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sdouty/) Steve has spent 40 years in high tech - the past 30 years in diverse executive positions, including C-level marketing, product, sales, business/corporate development, and IT; he also is a four-time CEO. He is skilled in bringing new technologies to market and creating new tech-driven markets. His experience spans dozens of sectors, including consumer Internet, enterprise SaaS, communications, cybersecurity, big data, and now, AI. Steve has raised more than $120M in venture capital, has three exits totaling nearly $900M, has been involved in the sale or purchase of ten businesses, and has been an advisor and executive mentor for more than 25 companies. Currently, Steve is an EVP at a well-funded stealth AI startup. Steve earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College and was awarded a Citation for Academic Excellence in his major. | |
 | William Treseder (https://www.linkedin.com/in/williamtreseder/) William Treseder is cofounder and chief operating officer at BMNT, a government innovation consultancy. In this role, Treseder drives operational excellence for public-sector customers such as the Defense Innovation Unit, Defense Logistics Agency, and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Treseder is also the chief strategy officer for the Marine Innovation Unit, a reservist organization dedicated to modernization. In this capacity, he works on the organizational structure and mission set with a focus on force design. Projects span topics from emerging technology to human capital. Treseder currently serves as an advisor to multiple venture-backed companies, and as a venture partner to several investment funds. He is currently a Veteran Fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, and an author of two best-selling books on startups and productivity. Treseder previously served roles in product development and entrepreneurial education, including at Stanford University. His career includes formative projects with key defense innovation capabilities such as Hacking for Defense, Kessel Run, and AFWERX. | |
 | Serdar Turac (https://www.linkedin.com/in/serdarturac/) Serdar Turac is a seasoned program and business development leader with extensive experience in driving technology commercialization and fostering startup success across various sectors. At BMNT Ventures in San Francisco, Serdar leads flagship programs, including NAVY Launch, NASA Ignite, Hacking for Defense (H4D), and H4Allies. In his role, he guides companies through commercialization strategies, supports dual-use technology development, and secures strategic partnerships that enhance program outcomes and drive innovation. Serdar's career began in international business development, where he played a pivotal role in helping multinational startups expand into the U.S. market. Specializing in market entry strategies for both U.S. and international companies, he has helped startups across various industries align their operations with U.S. market demands. Throughout his career, Serdar has demonstrated a strong track record in leading accelerator programs, forging strategic partnerships, and mentoring startups. His collaborations span government agencies, universities, and major corporations, empowering innovators worldwide to navigate complex markets successfully. Holding a Ph.D. in Banking & Finance and an MBA in Finance, Serdar's credentials underpin his expertise in growth strategy across multiple sectors. Passionate about driving startup success, he has organized hundreds of workshops and events that have significantly contributed to the growth of the startup ecosystem. | |
 | Maicie M. Jones (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maiciejones/) Maicie Jones is an innovation leader with a proven track record of helping mission-driven organizations turn complex challenges into actionable strategies. At BMNT, she supports national security and health innovation initiatives, contributing to programs with the Department of the Navy and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Her work builds on more than a decade of experience advancing innovation and commercialization across federal, nonprofit, and healthcare sectors. Previously, Maicie led venture studio efforts at CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield's Healthworx, where she launched new ventures, advised startups, and shaped digital strategies with multimillion-dollar potential. At AARP Services, she directed product development teams and led design sprints that delivered scalable solutions for older adults, including teleaudiology and digital fitness platforms. Maicie began her career conducting best-practice research at the Advisory Board Company and later served as a Program Manager at the AARP Foundation, where she led nationwide social determinants of health initiatives and co-developed a mission investing strategy. She brings deep experience facilitating design sprints, aligning stakeholders, and mentoring teams to bring ideas to life. She holds an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. | |
 | Tyler Chung (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-chung-9ab52a208/) Tyler Chung serves as a Program Analyst at BMNT, supporting the NAVY Launch program. He focuses on accelerating the commercialization of dual-use technologies, bridging the gap between innovative small businesses and defense needs. Tyler's background includes open-source intelligence research focused on the Russia-Ukraine War and experience in digital marketing. A graduate of the University of Virginia, he earned his B.A. in Economics and Russian. |
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