The DefenseVentures Program

“This is an amazing opportunity for

service members to jump behind

the front lines of technology

development, learn from

entrepreneurs and investors, and

connect with other like minded

innovators in the DoD.”

Major Adrian V. HerreraF-15E Instructor Aviator & Team Supervisor for

the 494th Fighter Squadron

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT!

Today’s Agenda

THE DEFENSE VENTURES PROGRAM

● What is the Defense Ventures Program?

● How does it work?

● Why should I apply?

● When and how do I apply?

Ask Questions in Comments!

To bring 21st century innovative solutions back to

the Department of Defense

WHY

● The U.S. military needs 21st century

capabilities to defense against 21st

Century threats.

● The Department of Defense must have a

technically proficient workforce to

understand how to develop, integrate

and operates these new technologies

● Over the last three decades, technical capability development in the United

States has shifted from the Defense

Industrial Base to the tech industry, and

from hardware to software

● Many of the companies investing and developing new technologies are

venture capital firms or small startups

who aren’t familiar with the military.

● The Defense Ventures Program is a SBIR

Phase 3 Program run by the SF-based

company Shift and overseen by

AFWERX.

● AFWERX is looking for early and mid-career employees of the DoD who

can thrive in new environments, learn

quickly and create impact.

● DoD Employees with > 3 years of professional experience are eligible to

apply to the fellowship; if selected,

Fellows are matched with a venture

capital, startup, or incubator.

● Shift leverages the latest in education design to get Fellows up to speed quickly

The Defense

Ventures Program

identifies future innovators of the

Department of

Defense and invests in their future

HOW

6

Prepare ImmerseExplore Synthesis

Two weeks, part-time Six weeks, full time

An 8-week industry immersion program in

the the venture capital and high tech startup ecosystem

APPROACH

● AFWERX funds this program because we

are looking develop innovators who

want to spend their career improving the

DoD

● AFWERX also wants to create opportunities where our service

members can create enduring

relationships with the top entrepreneurs

and investors in the tech industry.

The Defense

Ventures Program is not a transition program

UPSKILLING NOT TRANSITION

Technology Deep Dives

Startups & Entrepreneurship

DoD & the Tech Industry

Foundations of Venture Capital

Creativity & Innovation

Professional Networking

Learning by

doing

Learning with

others

Learning from

others

The Fellowship curriculum focuses on 6 key areas of development.

FOCUS

Startups

Anduril (1)BluVector (1)Censys (1)Everactive (1)Golden (2)Hermeus Corporation (1)Joby Aviation (2)Labelbox (2)Learn To Win (1)Major League Hacking (2)Mercantile (1)Mindstrong (2)Observe Inc. (1)Expanse/Palo Alto Networks (7)Paravision (1)Peakmetrics (1)People.ai (1)Phylum (1)r2c (1)Reef Technology (1)Scale (2)SecurityScorecard (2)Shield AI (1)Shift (2)SigOpt (1)Synack (1)Terminal (1)ThreatQuotient (1)

Incubators

Atomic (3)Capital Factory (1)Expa (2)Starburst Accelerator (1)

Past & Current Host Partner Breakdown (62)

Venture Capital Firms

a16z (3)Alpha Bridge Ventures (6)Bain Capital Ventures (1)Bow Capital (1)Bowery Capital (1)Catapult Ventures (4)Decisive Point (2)Emerson Collective (1)ForgePoint Capital (1)Foundation Capital (1)General Catalyst (1)GGV (1)Harpoon Ventures (5)Jetblue Ventures (1)Lightspeed (1)Lux Capital (3)Moonshots Capital (4)NEA (4)Offline (1)Okta Ventures (1)Outlander Labs (2)Point72 Ventures (1)Reach Capital (1)Refinery Ventures (4)Sapphire Ventures (1)Scout Ventures (2)SemperVirens Venture Capital (2)Soma Capital (2)Structure Capital (2)SV Angel (2)The Engine (4)

“We are so impressed by what they were able to accomplish in just six weeks and hope it was also immensely educational for them.”

Joe LinVP Product ManagementPalo Alto Networks

DVP HOSTS

Build enduring relationships with the private sector & your cohort

Gain firsthand experience from industry experts

Identify new ways of solving hard problems

Bring innovation back to the DOD

Benefits of the Program

WHY SHOULD YOU APPLY?

Begin Date Immersion End Date Application Due By

Session 3 (VC & Cyber)

8/23/21 9/7/21 10/15/21 June 30th 2021

Session 4 (VC & Cyber)

10/4/21 10/18/21 12/3/21 July 30th 2021

Each session will have both a venture capital and a cyber focus!

Apply now at https://www.afwerx.af.mil/ventures-fellowship.html

Join Shift for a study hall to complete the app!Sign up at bit.ly/dvp-studyhall

HOW TO APPLY

Apply through AFWERX

NEW! Apply Through AFWERX

Questions?