Launching dual-use ventures
Dual-use ventures — tough tech startups pursuing commercial relationships with the private sector and federal government, are a unique class of companies with whom Kathryn “Katy” Person, of the MIT Innovation Initiative, works daily.
“[Working with the United States government, such as the Department of Defense,] is not for everyone and not for every business. It depends on whether you come in mission-focused… and it depends on your business strategy,” says Katy. As a military veteran with a background in U.S. Army acquisitions, Katy observes “the trough of disillusionment occurs between Phase II and Phase III” of government contracts, and there is a delicate, strategic relationship that may harm or benefit a dual-use venture and with whom it chooses as allies, whether prime contractors, venture funds, government liaisons, university research hubs, and other entities.
In this episode, we discuss the challenges tough tech entrepreneurs face balancing the myriad of funding opportunities and challenges afforded to dual-use ventures serving the private sector and federal government.
Listen on Apple, Spotify, Overcast, and Google (and wherever else podcasts are available)
- Connect with Katy Person on LinkedIn
- Learn about MIT’s Dual-use Ventures Incubator program
- Check out jmill’s article, Who’s Your Ally? How Tech Startups Navigate Venture Capital and Federal Funding
