Overview

The U.S. Army offers a wide range of non-dilutive funding opportunities for dual-use technologies. For eligible small businesses, SBIR and STTR remain some of the most accessible and impactful programs, with the Army providing $387.7M in SBIR funding in 2024 alone. The Army’s xTech competition has also awarded more than $29M in prizes and supported over $285M in follow-on contracts across less than eight years.

But not all companies are small businesses, and not all teams are focused on SBIR. Many organizations pursue Army funding through larger mechanisms such as OTAs, BAAs, and CSOs, which can offer higher award amounts, broader scopes of work, and more flexible contracting structures.

In this webinar, Grant Engine, now strengthened by its acquisition of Akela Consulting, will walk you through the Army’s full innovation landscape. We will dive deeply into SBIR/STTR, xTech, FUZE, and Catalyst for small businesses, while also outlining the larger funding pathways available to companies of all sizes, including OTAs, BAAs, and CSOs.

What You Will Learn:

• Understanding the Army Innovation Landscape: A clear explanation of Army SBIR, xTech, FUZE, and Catalyst programs for small businesses, and an overview of larger opportunities such as BAAs, CSOs, and OTAs for companies that are not SBIR-eligible or are seeking bigger funding routes.
• Choosing the Right Pathway for Your Company: How small businesses can leverage SBIR and xTech to secure early R&D funding, and how mid-sized and larger companies can target OTAs, BAAs, and CSOs as entry points into the Army innovation ecosystem.
• Winning SBIR and xTech: How to frame your narrative, align with Army capability gaps, and develop competitive proposals that resonate with evaluators and end-users.
• Competing for Larger Army Opportunities: What it takes to pursue OTAs, BAAs, and CSOs, how these mechanisms work, and what types of technologies and maturities are best suited for them.
• Bridge and Transition Support: How programs such as FUZE, Catalyst, and Army labs help companies—both small and large—advance from research concepts to prototype evaluations and early fielding.
• Patterns of Company Success: Real examples of how different types of companies—startup, mid-stage, and enterprise—have engaged the Army through the pathway that best fit their size, goals, and technology maturity.

What Grant Engine Will Cover:

• The Full Army Pathway Options: A clear map of both early-stage small-business programs and larger Army-wide funding mechanisms, giving attendees insight into which pathways best fit their size, eligibility, and objectives.
• Proposal Strategy and Positioning: How the Grant Engine team focused on defense and dual-use technologies helps organizations craft proposals and submissions that speak directly to Army priorities, whether through SBIR or other contracting mechanisms
• Engaging the Right Army Stakeholders: How to understand Army customer needs, identify relevant commands and offices, and communicate a compelling value proposition at any company size.
• Our Strengthened Platform: How the combination of Grant Engine’s life sciences funding expertise and Akela’s deep DoD specialization forms a comprehensive platform that supports both small businesses and larger organizations pursuing Army opportunities.
  
  

Who Should Attend:

• Small businesses seeking SBIR, xTech, or other early-stage Army funding
• Dual-use startups preparing to enter the Army ecosystem
• Companies that are not SBIR-eligible but still want to pursue Army opportunities
• Mid-sized and large organizations targeting OTAs, BAAs, CSOs, or follow-on contracting
• Teams that want clarity on which Army funding path is right for them
  
  

Next Steps

After the webinar, you'll have the opportunity to schedule a free consultation with the Grant Engine Defense team to discuss your specific technology, identify near-term opportunities, and explore how our partnership model can accelerate your access to DoD funding.

Overview

In this webinar, we'll show you why and how you can build a DoD network to supercharge your strategy for winning SBIRs and BAAs from the Department of Defense.

Accessing non-dilutive funding from the DoD through BAAs and SBIR programs is a powerful way not only to fund your R&D but also to gain the attention of massive customers across the entire Department of Defense - Army, Navy, SOCOM, Air Force, DARPA, and beyond.

You can win these programs by putting together compelling grant submissions that effectively market and tell the narrative of your solution tailored to the DoD end-user you're targeting. However, to make a massive impact, increase your win rate, and open up strategic funding opportunities, it helps tremendously to have strategic networks and strong relationships across the DoD who can open doors for you.

As you can build this network, though it takes time, it will certainly pay dividends for your funding journey.

In this webinar, Grant Engine, who recently acquired Akela Consulting (a DoD-focused grant consultancy), will walk you through DoD opportunities that can be dramatically boosted by a strong DoD network and share practical strategies for building those relationships so you can leverage major funding opportunities.

Today's Topic: The Power of Access - How strategic DoD networks transform funding opportunities into wins and open doors to contracts worth up to $500M.

What You Will Learn

• Network Building Best Practices: Proven strategies to develop DoD relationships that lead to funding opportunities and open doors to major contracts.
• Key DoD Funding Opportunities: Deep dive into the programs that can be boosted by a strong network including Air Force AFWERX, Army xTech competitions, Navy Open Topics, DARPA funding, and Air Force Research Lab BAA programs.
• Bridge Funding Pathways: How STRATFI, TACFI, and Catalyst programs help you scale from prototype to Phase III and secure contracts.
• Real Success Stories: Eye-opening case studies of companies who secured Phase II funding and tapped into potential contracts worth up to $500M through strategic network access.

What Grant Engine Will Cover

• Our DoD Network Advantage: Direct access to relationships across Army, Navy, SOCOM, Air Force, DARPA, and research labs that open funding doors.
• Practical Network Building: Actionable strategies you can implement to develop your own DoD relationships over time
• From Funding to Contracts: How strategic networks help you go beyond grants to secure major DoD contracts and become a trusted defense supplier.
• The Akela Acquisition: How Grant Engine's combination of life science funding expertise with Akela's DoD specialization creates a comprehensive federal funding platform.

Who Should Attend

• Small businesses developing dual-use technology
• Companies new to DoD funding or with limited federal funding experience
• Innovators who understand their technology is DoD-relevant but don't know how to access opportunities
• Teams that have attempted DoD funding before without success
• Organizations looking for a strategic partner to navigate the complex federal funding landscape

Next Steps

After the webinar, you'll have the opportunity to schedule a free consultation with the Grant Engine Defense team to discuss your specific technology, identify near-term opportunities, and explore how our partnership model can accelerate your access to DoD funding.

Sam Tetlow is Founder & CEO of Grant Engine. Grant Engine has a proven model of delivering funding to leading life science companies through the NIH SBIR program as well as DARPA, BARDA and other DoD sources. Sam has successful experience as an entrepreneur and investor in life sciences companies such as EpiCypher (named best University Startup of 2016 by U.S. Congress), ILS Genomics, Immunologix, Gentris Corporation, and Tranzyme Pharma (IPO April, 2011) among others.

As a leader within companies Sam has a functional focus on product development, sales, finance and corporate development. Sam continues to build on his venture capital experience by investing into compelling companies as an Angel. Sam seeks results and has a proven track record.   Sam has generated a 5.8x return on invested capital, with 76% cash realization in his last 14 years of investing.

Sam holds a MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School (Beta Gamma Sigma, 2003) and a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Honors, 1993). He has been on Mt. Everest, is a former competitive triathlete, and an avid proponent of doing good while doing well.

Zev Orzy brings deep expertise in securing federal funding for early-stage technology companies, with particular strength in navigating federal agencies focused on defense, space, and energy. As Co-Founder and CEO of Akela Consulting, Zev built the firm into a recognized DoD SBIR consultancy that helped various small businesses secure millions in government and defense contracts. Zev has been personally responsible for securing over $75M in non-dilutive funding and federal contracts for dozens of companies across sectors such as advanced materials, alternative energy solutions, and space technology. Prior to founding Akela, Zev served as Department Manager and Team Leader at Eagle Point Funding, where he accelerated R&D and commercialization efforts for technology firms pursuing federal opportunities. Zev has also excelled in a military capacity, serving as a field operator and intelligence analyst in an Israeli Special Forces reconnaissance unit in the elite Commando brigade. Zev holds a B.A. in Business Administration and Finance from Reichman University in Herzliya, Israel.

Daniel Kolos leads Grant Engine's SBIR/STTR strategy and proposal development operations for dual-use clients. He has an excellent track record of client success across federal innovation agencies including Army, Air Force, DIU, NSF, and DOE. Daniel specializes in helping early-stage and growth-stage technology companies secure non-dilutive funding across AI/ML, additive manufacturing, renewable energy and battery technologies, defense systems, and dual-use applications. As co-founder of Akela Consulting, Daniel grew the firm into a leading SBIR-focused practice recognized for acting as an embedded extension of client teams, supporting companies across strategic, technical, and operational needs. His success in building Akela's client-centered approach and proven results with DoD agencies was instrumental in the strategic partnership with Grant Engine in 2025. 

Josh Bar-on is a Senior Advisor for Grant Engine, previously with Akela Consulting. He specializes in tech scouting and strategically pairing companies with appropriate DoD funding opportunities to advance their R&D. Josh has extensive experience in the SBIR and federal grant space. His background also includes serving as Managing Director of an ecosystem that brought dual-use companies directly in front of government tech scouts and prime contractors, bridging the gap between innovative companies and DoD decision-makers. Josh is a proud father of 5 energetic and wonderful children.