(Rochester, NY- June 16, 2011)
The 11th annual Navy Opportunity Forum® brought together nearly 1,400 representatives from small business, industry and government in Crystal City, VA from June 6-8. Dawnbreaker, Inc. hosted the event, the primary focus of which is technology transfer into commercial and agency applications. Sponsored by the Navy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Office, this year’s Navy Opportunity Forum® featured 170 small technology development companies, presenting advanced technology transition opportunities developed through 205 Navy SBIR-funded projects.
The Forum is the culmination of the Navy Transition Assistance Program (TAP), an 11 month process undertaken each year in which Dawnbreaker works with approximately 200 small technology businesses to increase the likelihood that their technologies are transitioned to government and industry. Throughout the Navy TAP, Dawnbreaker guides small businesses to address commercialization issues including timelines, strategies, partnering and securing funding. As part of these efforts, Dawnbreaker’s diverse staff assists with preparing transition-focused marketing and communications materials and presentations, as well as securing approval for public release of these documents. Additionally, market research is provided to the small businesses focusing on the potential for transitioning the Navy SBIR-funded technology.
TAP participant Patrick W. Kalgren of Impact Technologies, LLC in Rochester, NY discussed the process, “Working diligently and patiently with select engineers, Dawnbreaker’s staff, through a disciplined process, has had a positive impact on the technology transition, product focus, and customer awareness crucial to realizing effective marketing and utilization of our technologies. The Navy Opportunity Forum provides the impetus for this work and is the springboard we use to launch our transition efforts.”
As the only event of its kind in the SBIR arena, the Forum provides a unique venue in which small businesses, government agencies and prime contractors are able to come together and discuss critical needs, and the technologies that can potentially address them. Throughout the course of the event, each small business gives a 15-minute presentation focusing on performance differentiators, readiness and the needs addressed by their Navy SBIR-funded technology projects. Additionally, more focused interactions are facilitated through planned and scheduled Strategic Introduction (SI) meetings between the small businesses and private sector attendees, principally the leading prime contractors. This year, 475 SI meetings were held along with 115 meetings between the small businesses and members of the acquisition community. These carefully orchestrated elements help participating small businesses achieve a 50-65% Phase III success rate within 18 months of the Forum. The aggregate amount of this near-term transition and commercialization funding ranges between $100 million to $220 million for each year’s group of Navy Opportunity Forum presenters.
Having worked within large corporations and small businesses, Dawnbreaker’s diverse staff understands the perspective and financial imperatives of both. In the TAP program, participating firms are assigned to a Business Acceleration Manager (BAM) who acts as their guide and mentor throughout the process. All BAMs have had “profit and loss” experience, and therefore understand the pressures felt by an entrepreneur and their investors. Participants also work with Dawnbreaker’s highly qualified Market Research and Graphics staff throughout the program. A key driver in the success of the culminating Forum is the unique ability of Dawnbreaker’s Outreach team to bring together a large, highly targeted audience for over 200 divergent projects.
About Dawnbreaker
Dawnbreaker specializes in providing commercialization assistance to small advanced technology firms and their investors. Since 1990 we have worked with over 3,400 firms that have received funding from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), and others. Dawnbreaker is a Delaware C-Corporation, with its headquarters in Rochester, NY. The company has grown to our current level of 60 employees. We have been able to successfully grow, while maintaining the highest level of service to our customers and clients.
For more information about Dawnbreaker, Inc., visit www.dawnbreaker.com.