DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Army invites interested entities to participate in the U.S. Army xTechLive pitch competition, designed for eligible small to medium businesses attending CES in Las Vegas, NV from January 7-9, 2025. Selected participants will have an opportunity to pitch novel technology solutions to a live panel of U.S. Army and Department of Defense (DoD) subject matter experts (SMEs) and compete for prize money.

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)) recognizes that the U.S. Army must enhance engagements with industry by reaching new audiences through innovative platforms such as live pitch competitions at conferences. This initiative aims to: (1) understand the spectrum of ‘world-class’ technologies being developed commercially that may benefit the U.S. DoD; (2) integrate the sector of non-traditional innovators into the U.S. DoD Science and Technology (S&T) ecosystem; and (3) provide expertise and feedback to accelerate, mature, and transition technologies of interest to the U.S. DoD.

The competition will award up to $100,000 in cash prizes to selected participants. The U.S. Army xTech Program will host up to 30 pitch presentations over the course of three (3) days at the xTech Program booth during CES 2025. Presentations will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, with verification of information provided in the registration form. Registration will take place onsite at the booth. For additional details, please refer to Section IV. Up to 10 winners will be announced live on the Eureka Park Main Stage at CES 2025, each receiving a cash prize of $10,000.

In addition to non-dilutive cash prizes, participants may have the opportunity to engage with U.S. Army and DoD experts attending CES 2025, receiving valuable feedback on their innovations.

The efforts described in this notice are being pursued under the authorities of Title 10 U.S.C. § 4025 to award cash prizes as described in this announcement.

While the authority of this program operates under Title 10 U.S.C. § 4025, the xTechLive pitch competition may generate interest by another U.S. Army, DoD or United States Government (USG) organization for a funding opportunity outside of this program (e.g., submission of a proposal under a Broad Agency Announcement). The interested organization may contact the participant to provide additional information or ask for a request for proposal in a separate solicitation. Winners of the prize competition may be invited to submit a separate proposal for further development of their proposed technology solution based on the needs of the U.S. Army. The Army may use a contract mechanism of their choice and will notify the participants accordingly.

The U.S. Army xTech Program utilizes the online evaluation and feedback tool, Valid Eval, to accept applications and streamline the evaluation and feedback process. xTech will provide a feedback report to participants following the live pitches that will be accessible through the tool. The purpose of providing this report is to assist in potentially accelerating transition of the technology to an Army end-user by providing insight on best applications for the technology, suggestions for product improvement for Army use and recommended next steps for development. However, the government may not respond to questions or inquiries regarding this feedback.

Topics and Problem Statements

The xTechLive pitch competition is seeking novel capabilities and technology solutions that can assist in tackling the U.S. Army’s current needs and apply to current U.S. Army concepts across three key technology areas:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI);
• Internet of Things (IoT)/Sensing; and
• Robotics.

Topic descriptions can be found in the RFI.

SCHEDULE AND PRIZES

PHASE 1: Onsite Registration

Jan 7, 2025 - Jan 9, 2025

Up to 30 teams confirmed to pitch

Sign-ups are first come first serve

PHASE 2: Live Pitch Event

Jan 7, 2025 - Jan 9, 2025

Up to 10 Winners

$10K/each

PHASE 3: Winner Announcement

Jan 9, 2025 - Jan 9, 2025

Up to 10 Winners

N/A

PHASE 4:

-

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for this competition, entities must be a small to medium business attending CES 2025 and must not have previously submitted an Army xTech Program competition application and/or submitted an Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal. A small to medium business is defined as those with <1,500 employees.

Each eligible entity:

• Must be able to obtain a CAGE code (U.S. businesses) or NCAGE code (international businesses) to process payments;
• Shall be incorporated in, and maintain, a primary place of business in the U.S. or a foreign country;
• May not be a U.S. federal or foreign government entity or employ a U.S. federal employee acting within the scope of their employment;
• May not be a company or person controlled by, funded by, or under the jurisdiction or direction of foreign adversaries; and
• Must not be based in a foreign country of concern (FCOC), directly funded by an FCOC-government or FCOC-government-subsidized guidance fund or be under the influence of an FCOC-based government in any way. Failure to meet these requirements will result in ineligibility for award.

Companies that have previously submitted an xTech competition application and/or submitted an Army SBIR proposal are not eligible to participate in this competition.

The xTech Program will not provide travel or registration funding for eligible entities to attend CES 2025.