Catalyst Accelerator

08/14/2026

We had a fantastic couple of days at the National Security Capital Summit at Hotel Polaris. The Catalyst Accelerator was proud to be in the room, connecting with the leaders, investors, and small businesses shaping the future of national security innovation.

Hats off to the Air Force CyberWorx team, Julie Perkins, Katie Alessandri, and Kirsten Staples, for pulling off an amazing event! 🌟

08/06/2026

🚀 Alumni Spotlight: Worldscape has raised a $10M seed extension to accelerate its AI-powered geospatial intelligence platform for defense, government, and commercial customers.

The new funding will help the team expand its AI-native platform and turn vast amounts of geospatial data into actionable intelligence for faster, more informed decision-making.

👉 Read more here: https://worldscape.ai/company/news/worldscape-raises-10-million-seed-extension

Congratulations to the entire Worldscape team on this exciting milestone! ✨

For logistics, supply chain, defense, and enterprise operations — Worldscape fuses AI, simulation, and real-time data into a unified platform to drive…

07/27/2026

We're still buzzing from the BMC3I TAP Lab Mission Catalyst Summit! ✨

Last Thursday wrapped up day three of the event with sessions covering KRONOS and the path to Programs of Record, SBIR funding pathways in the Lab, and SBIR data rights, contracts, and teaming agreements. Attendees also got to participate in an Ask Me Anything panel and a TAP Lab open house, with a firsthand look at the lab itself.

Another huge thank you to all of the subject matter experts who shared their time and expertise throughout the summit, and to everyone who attended, engaged, and made these three days such a success!

If you're building solutions for Battle Damage Indications/Assessment or Crimson Forge, Stage 1 applications for 2026 are open now!
👉 Learn more and apply: https://bmc3itaplab.space/index.html

07/22/2026

Our team has been enjoying the BMC3I TAP Lab Mission Catalyst Summit! 🚀

So much impactful insight and valuable perspectives have already been shared over the first two days of this event, and we've still got one more day to go!

Lab leadership kicked things off with a keynote on the next chapter of the BMC3I TAP Lab, setting the tone for the event. From there, sessions on End-to-End SDA and building a strong Stage 1 submission have brought the lab's mission to life: accelerating space battle management solutions to the Warfighter through a staged approach that takes commercial software from capability gap to fielded solution.

Thank you to the subject matter experts, Gregg Walsh, KiMar Gartman, Karri Palmetier, Ross Morrell, and Michael Martensen for offering your expertise this week. Special shoutout to Palmetier Law, LLC for sponsoring tonight's networking happy hour! 🎉

If you're building solutions for Battle Damage Indications/Assessment or Crimson Forge, Stage 1 applications for 2026 are open now!
👉 Learn more and apply: https://bmc3itaplab.space/index.html

07/14/2026

🚨 CMMC Phase II is officially on hold!

The Department of War just suspended CMMC Phase II requirements, effective immediately.

Here's what's changing:
📢 The move to Phase II, along with every future step of the rollout, is on pause for now.

🔎 A new Task Force has 60 days to rethink the program, using feedback the industry already shared.

🔐 Completion of the Phase I self-assessment is still required to protect sensitive defense information under existing federal rules.

The DoW's goal is to cut compliance costs that were pushing small businesses out of the defense supply chain, without lowering the security bar.

👉 Read the full release here: https://www.war.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4542329/forging-the-arsenal-of-freedom-department-of-war-suspends-cmmc-phase-ii-require/

The Department of War announced the immediate suspension of the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Phase II requirements, which were originally scheduled to come into effect on Nov. 10, 2026.

07/04/2026

Happy 4th of July from The Catalyst Accelerator!

Today we're grateful for the freedom to chase big ideas, the incredible people we get to work alongside every day, and the community that makes our program so special.

Wishing you a great celebration! 🇺🇸✨

07/01/2026

🚀 Our new website is officially live!

Our website has been completely redesigned to better serve our founders, partners, and the broader defense innovation ecosystem. Same link, brand-new experience, rebuilt from the ground up to be cleaner and more intuitive.

What's new:

🔍 Company Directory — Search our portfolio by technology sector and discover the companies driving innovation across the ecosystem

📈 Program Successes & Company Traction Page — A whole new way to explore the impact of our program and the companies we've supported

📅 Refreshed Events Page — Stay on top of everything happening in the Accelerator program and at Catalyst Campus

🤝 New Sponsor Page — Spotlighting the incredible network of partners who make this program possible

A huge thank you to Joseph Marney and Storiline Creative Strategies, formerly defy DESIGN for bringing this vision to life!

Check it out: https://catalystaccelerator.space

06/30/2026

Something special is coming! 🎙️

We sat down with some of our incredible Colorado-based Accelerator alumni to hear their stories — where they started, what they've learned, and where they're headed.

Stay tuned for our Alumni Video Interviews dropping soon on Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation socials. You won't want to miss them! 💫

06/24/2026

🚀 Alumni Spotlight: Optera raises £3M to establish their UK headquarters and scale space domain awareness capabilities!

Led by UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] (managed by Future Planet Capital), the funding will enable Optera to establish and grow their UK engineering team, deliver key space domain awareness and dual-use sensing programmes, and accelerate on-orbit processing to generate more intelligence at the edge.

Optera develops neuromorphic, event-based sensors and AI analytics that detect and track fast-moving objects in space, using far less data and power than traditional cameras.

Huge congratulations to CEO Jonathon Wolfe and the entire Optera team! ⭐

Read more: https://www.soapbox.vc/feed/optera-equity

The new home of UK venture | Share your startup story. Discover new companies.

06/15/2026

Houston, you did not disappoint!

We had the pleasure of reconnecting with our AFRL PIA partners at Q Station and Hyperspace Challenge. We shared updates on our programs and projects, explored future collaboration opportunities, and built stronger relationships over great meals and conversation.

Oh, and we may have snuck in a visit to NASA. 🚀 No big deal.

Grateful for this community and the incredible people in it!