U.S. Air Force
Representatives from all four core divisions of AFWERX – Prime, Spark, AFVentures, and SpaceWERX – will be at the South by Southwest, or SXSW, conference March 10-19, 2023 in Austin, Texas. The Capital Factory, an entrepreneurial firm aimed at connecting innovative technologists and startups to a nationwide network of resources, will host this event in its downtown networking space at the AFWERX Austin Hub located in the Omni Hotel.
The SXSW Conference provides an opportunity for the global community of digital creatives to encounter cutting-edge ideas, discover new interests, and network with other professionals who share a similar appetite for forward-focused experiences.
Agility Prime, an AFWERX program advancing electric vertical takeoff and landing technologies, will host a panel session while AFVentures and Spark representatives interact with attendees. AFWERX will also present the AFWERX 3.0 framework, introduce AFWERX Director Col. Elliott Leigh and discuss pathways toward alignment with the Secretary of the Air Force’s operational imperatives.
"AFWERX is looking forward to connecting with DOD and industry partners to collaborate on our shared mission to innovate a stronger force," Leigh said. "AFWERX 3.0's mission to support senior leadership's top priorities could not occur without the invaluable partnerships we build in forums such as South by Southwest."
Dr. Timothy Grayson, special assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, will hold a public forum and question-and-answer session March 10, 2023, on the Operational Imperatives, inviting technology leaders from industry to engage directly with Department of the Air Force (DAF) priorities. This forum advances Kendall’s commitment to partnering with industry to solve technical challenges presented by operational imperatives, which identify critical warfighting capabilities needed to deter adversaries and prevail in combat.
AFWERX representatives will be available for networking and discussion at their booth in the evening of March 10, 2023, during the startup crawl. Members of the Prime, Spark and AFVentures teams will engage with potential industry partners and brainstorm ways to join forces in innovating solutions based on the operational imperatives.
Leigh will participate in various roundtables March 11-12 to discuss the launch of AFWERX 3.0, the innovation organization’s latest iteration, as well as AFWERX’s impact on the DOD’s ability to create meaningful opportunities for small businesses to become trusted and active members of the National Security Innovation Base.
AFWERX 3.0, launched in avirtual eventDec. 14, 2022, adds five key lines of effort aimed at expanding technology, talent, transition, and capabilities. This shift in focus will allow AFWERX to closely align its mission sets with the objects set forth in Secretary Kendall’s operational imperatives.
Representing AFWERX Prime on the official SXSW stage March 16, 2023, Prime Division Chief Lt. Col. Tom Meagher will sit on a panel entitled “How to Make U.S. a Leader in Advanced Air Mobility,” alongside AFWERX Head of Airspace Innovation and Prime Partnerships Darshan Divakaran and SpaceWERX Strategic Adviser Dyan Gibbens. Meagher, Divakaran, and Gibbens will be joined on the panel, held at the Austin Convention Center, by Anna Dietrich of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
Additionally, AFWERX Spark representatives will promote the new AFWERX hub in Washington, D.C., the Refinery program, and other innovation tools intended to facilitate collaboration between AFWERX and the DAF major commands. The Refinery hosts cohorts of Airmen and Guardians in four-week hybrid programs to target grassroots efforts within the DAF and rapidly advance innovative projects that directly aid warfighters.
AFVentures representatives will discuss AFWERX and SpaceWERX contracts in the Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, programs, meet with small businesses, and promote AFVentures’ mission to invite more emerging technology startups connected with the government for unique funding and support opportunities. AFVentures seeks to catalyze partnerships between these startups and other stakeholders in the government, academic and commercial communities, ultimately aiming to build a more effective, multi-domain force for the U.S. and its allies.
As a whole, AFWERX representatives will discuss how the organization’s shifts in focus in AFWERX 3.0 will impact their specific division objectives.