Ireland Degges
In early 2022, the Department of Defense released its new technology vision, which identified 14 technology areas critical to maintaining U.S. national security in the transforming warfighting environment. Quantum, which represents just one of these areas, has reached its “second revolution,” as experts move to perfect this technology and harness its benefits.
To accelerate the development of quantum and bring quantum tools to the DOD, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working to cultivate a collaborative environment in which commercialization and innovation can harmonize to drive novel technologies to the market at scale, according to Sha-Chelle Manning, the agency’s chief of commercial strategy.
“When I say the word commercialization, you really have to be thinking about transition. When you are bringing something revolutionary, such as an atomic clock that could become that future replacement for GPS, that comes with a lot of challenges,” Manning said during her keynote address at ExecutiveBiz’s 2023 Quantum Technologies Forum.
One way DARPA has worked to tackle potential roadblocks in quantum commercialization is by pairing business experts with technology innovators through its Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative, which Manning said has yielded “impressive results.”
“What we are doing is embedding an entrepreneur to make sure there is a good product-to-market fit, find groups within the DOD that can be early adopters and help continue that pathway while looking at commercial opportunities,” Manning explained.
Manning stressed that entrepreneurship is a “service to the country.” She said that they can “coach and mentor” DARPA performers, direct them toward potential customers and provide insights into what needs to be de-risked prior to scaling.
“You want to get people who not only can provide capital, but can provide feedback and guidance that can help you recruit people to your team, consider how you might manufacture and scale and bring close connections in a market vertical that you are trying to go after,” said Manning.
A major element in creating a successful team of DARPA performers and entrepreneurs, she said, is promoting the incorporation of several points of view, which allows each group to leverage the unique knowledge that every member of a project brings to the table.
Empowering group members to consider the suggestions of other parties involved “makes a big difference,” she said.
The call for collaboration extends beyond the performer-entrepreneur partnership and to the customers themselves. Manning said that throughout her nine-year career in the energy field, she has observed that teams with the ability to respond to customer input early on do “incredibly well.”
“When companies make an effort to hear feedback on the product-market fit by trying to have the empathy to understand and have those discussions with customers or potential customers early on, it really helps when starting a pitch or a capital raise,” she said.
As quantum grows in importance, Manning aims to maintain this cooperative spirit as DARPA continues to propel DOD quantum efforts forward.
“We want to make sure people come to DARPA to solve problems and make big things happen,” said Manning.
For a look into 5G – another DOD technology focus area – ExecutiveBiz is hosting its 5G Forum, which will bring together GovCon leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding 5G and the future of networks on April 25. To learn more and register to attend, please visit ExecutiveBiz’s events page.
