DefenseTech Accelerator

The inaugural cohort of the CRP DefenseTech Accelerator. The five companies selected to participate are Huntsville-based and are meeting the week of December 2-6 for the initial kick-off. (Photo: Huntsville/Madison County Chamber)

CRP DefenseTech Accelerator announces inaugural cohort

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (December 5, 2024) – We are excited to announce the inaugural cohort of the CRP DefenseTech Accelerator, an effort between the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, Cummings Research Park, and Treble One.

Twenty companies applied to be in the first cohort. After an extensive selection process, five were chosen to participate. The five companies that will help launch this new program are Ionburst, Ethar, 6^th Dimension, SpaceFactory, and BrakeSens.

Treble One has hired Steve Odom, former President of GasTOPS USA, as the accelerator’s managing director.

“The companies and technologies selected are impressive and have great potential to bring significant capabilities to our warfighters,” said Odom. “We are grateful to the Chamber and our sponsors that are enabling us to assist this cohort.”

All five companies are based in Huntsville. Company leaders are meeting this week for the initial kick-off, which will culminate in March 2025. The program is designed to help grow and scale each company’s products in the defense and commercial markets. The purpose of the Accelerator is to grow our defense industrial base with the next generation of small businesses focused on technology products.

“Treble One is grateful to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber and our sponsors for supporting the CRP DefenseTech Accelerator program in Huntsville,” said Brian Bullerman, Treble One’s co-owner and Managing Partner. “This initiative empowers local companies to grow and market their innovative products to the Air Force and the broader DoD marketplace. It’s a win-win: Huntsville businesses can expand and diversify, while the Air Force gains access to cutting-edge technologies that enhance warfighter capabilities.”

CRP and the Chamber want to say a special thank you to Innovate Alabama and the five companies who are helping to support this first cohort: Regions, Synovus, SimTech, Cepeda Systems & Software Analysis, and Signalink. Additional support is provided by Industrial Properties of the South. The Accelerator utilizes the Innovate Alabama Tax Credit program, which is a statewide initiative where Alabama companies and individuals with significant tax liability can allocate 50% of their taxes to stay local. This includes the Alabama income tax, state insurance premium tax, state public utility license tax, and state portion of the financial institution excise tax. 

This is just the first DefenseTech Accelerator cohort to kick off. In January we will also begin recruitment of tax credit donors for the second cohort of the Accelerator. Ideally the second cohort would open for applications in Spring 2025 and begin later that summer. If you missed out on donating taxes for a credit in the first round, or want to learn more, please contact Erin Koshut, Executive Director of Cummings Research Park at 256-535-2086 or [email protected].  

More information about the participating companies:

BrakeSens – BrakeSens has developed and tested a sensor for direct measurement of brake wear on consumer and commercial vehicles. The sensor technology provides the most accurate and real-time direct measurement of brake wear and temperature at a similar cost point to current, limited information sensors. The BrakeSens technology will increase safe vehicle operations as well as provide enabling information to support efficient vehicle maintenance while addressing the needs of an over $5 billion growing, global market. https://www.brakesens.com/ 

Ethar – Ethar’s groundbreaking AR platform uniquely combines geospatial and semantic intelligence, delivering seamless data integration and personalized, context-aware experiences that revolutionize customer engagement and operational efficiency.  https://ethar.com/ 

Ionburst – Ionburst is an innovative data protection startup redefining the way organizations securely store, manage, and share data. Offering a new paradigm for security, compliance, and resilience of data in the hybrid-Cloud era, Ionburst has pioneered data-out protection, with one simple mission: To protect data anywhere it travels, everywhere it’s stored. Ionburst is the only solution to empower organizations with complete control and visibility of their data through a unified, configurable security posture across any environment, while futureproofing against ever-evolving challenges posed by ransomware and quantum decryption. https://ionburst.io/ 

6^th Dimension – 6th Dimension, Inc. develops the Ceres Platform for modeling and simulation applications supporting Open Systems Architectures. Ceres offers a high-fidelity simulation toolkit designed to address mission engineering needs by combining immersive visualization with robust data management and a scalable architecture. Built using advanced physics-based modeling and gaming technology, Ceres allows for real-time, accurate simulations of complex operational environments. It supports rapid data integration, terrain modeling, and flexible scenario configuration, enabling personnel to conduct mission simulations with reduced setup time and increased accuracy. https://6thdpro.com/ 

SpaceFactory – SpaceFactory engineers and builds advanced manufacturing equipment, specializing in ruggedized, deployable systems for expeditionary environments both lunar and terrestrial. With a proven track record of NASA partnerships, SpaceFactory’s technology is designed to enhance the warfighter’s capabilities with point-of-need solutions in the most demanding operational environments. SpaceFactory’s newest technology focuses on true front-line ruggedized additive manufacturing, readily integrated in preexisting military architecture, designed and built in Huntsville, Alabama. https://spacefactory.ai/ 

For more information, contact:

Erin Koshut
Cummings Research Park
[email protected]

Kayla Brown
Huntsville/Madison County Chamber
[email protected]

A 12-week accelerator program for early-stage technology companies with innovative products that can be grown and scaled in the defense and commercial markets. Each program cycle consists of five companies who participate without paying any fees or relinquishing equity.

The Goal

For 75% of graduates to secure at least one prime contract with the U.S. federal government, secure at least one subcontract with a U.S. federal government prime contractor, partner with at least one prime contractor or OEM, or raise at least $100K in private capital funding within 12 months of their participation.

Program Offerings

The CRP DefenseTech Accelerator matches companies with defense tech advisors to assess the viability of scaling their products within the federal government, coaches to help build and refine a defense specific go-to-market strategy, business development experts and writing specialists to support proposals, and access to an expansive network of product users, customers, and investors.

1:1 Mentor Sessions
The Accelerator curates a tailored list of mentors from a diverse network of current and former executives of early and growth stage startups, OEM product leaders, former U.S. Department of Defense personnel, and seasoned T1 consultants.

Weekly Meetings
Cohorts will engage with a team of experienced T1 strategic advisors to develop a comprehensive defense-specific go-to- market strategy and a tactical business development plan of action for engaging defense customers.

Marketing Collateral
Cohorts will develop defense-specific marketing collateral, refine their messaging, branding, and marketing materials to effectively communicate their unique value propositions within the defense industry.

Customer & Investor Intros
Cohorts will present to the Accelerator’s extensive network of defense-focused venture capital firms, private investors, DoD Major Commands, Program Offices, Innovation Labs, OEMs, Prime Contractors, and more.

Lunch & Learns
Every week participants will have the opportunity to learn from experts on topics like DoD 101-301, deconstructing successful SBIR proposals, securing government funding, and more.

Fireside Chats
Cohorts will join fireside chats with elite defense tech experts to gain invaluable insights into emerging trends, funding opportunities, and success strategies, boosting their impact in the defense sector.

News Release

CRP partners with Huntsville/Madison County Chamber and Treble One on this initiative

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (August 12, 2024) – Today, Cummings Research Park (CRP) announced it is launching a DefenseTech Accelerator in the Park this fall. The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber and Treble One are CRP’s partners in this initiative.

The Accelerator utilizes the Innovate Alabama Tax Credit program, which is a statewide initiative where local companies and individuals with significant tax liability can allocate 50% of their taxes to stay local. State tax liabilities that can be used for this program are the Alabama income tax, State insurance premium tax, State public utility license tax and State portion of the financial institution excise tax (FIET).   Read more