By Sarah Bentley, Office of Army Prize Competitions and Army SBIR Program

Talus Ridge, winner of xTechSearch 7 in July 2023, has forged connections and new opportunities as a result of the competition to further develop its ballistic carrier system.

Now, Talus Ridge’s ballistic carrier system not only offers comfort underneath body armor, but also increases safety, making the technology more effective for end-users. The company received $45,000 in cash prizes through the competition and an Army Small Business Innovation Research Phase I contract award of up to $250,000 through the Army SBIR program to further develop its solution for potential Army use. Talus Ridge credits its expanded development to the xTechSearch 7 win, which facilitated the connections with Army customers to further mature its technology.

“The Army SBIR Phase I contract awarded following their xTechSearch 7 win provided Talus Ridge with much-needed funding to cover one of the hardest periods of any startup,” said Sara Ford, Talus Ridge founder and CEO. “We’ve also gained some incredible relationships from that award that have continued to help us on our journey that we would otherwise not have.”

Not only did Talus Ridge reap the financial benefits from xTechSearch, but the company made new leads within the Army ecosystem that are putting the small business on the road to transition via an Army experimentation event — a major opportunity that enables companies such as Talus Ridge to conduct technology demonstrations with real-life end-users.

David Rolen, technical point of contact, or TPOC, for Talus Ridge and chief of innovation of the U.S. Army 1^st Special Forces Command (Airborne), recommended the company to attend the International Special Operations Forces Range 2024 in April 2024. This is an event where private industry, academia, individuals and government R&D organizations demonstrate innovative technologies addressing U.S. Special Operations Forces needs to a host of Special Operations Forces and other Department of Defense stakeholders.

Talus Ridge’s attendance at the event provided the firm with exposure to key end-users and vendors in an intimate environment. In that same vein, the company also received real-time feedback that it can implement throughout the remainder of its Phase I contract.

View the full Talus Ridge snapshot here.

Rolen, alongside the U.S. Army 1^st Special Forces Command (Airborne), was instrumental in advocating and designing future xTech competitions to include experimentation events. Recently, xTech launched xTechSpecial Forces — a competition seeking novel technologies to enhance national security and support advanced military capabilities.

In coordination with the U.S. 1SFC(A), the competition provides a pathway for innovators to share their world-class solutions with the Army and other Department of Defense stakeholders, while leveraging the capabilities of nontraditional vendors to safeguard national interests and promote global stability.

“We designed the xTechSpecial Forces competition with user involvement and experimentation from the start. We have actual users serving as initial judges, and those same operators will support final selections and serve as the TPOC,” said Rolen.

From there, TPOCs may choose from a number of experimentation opportunities, from local training and experimentation, SOCOM Technical Experimentation Events, or gaining invitations to larger training exercises. These events will provide access to a broader range of stakeholders beyond just the user and offer incredible experimentation venues for small businesses that may be unfamiliar with acquisition stakeholders or not otherwise have access to these various groups.

xTechSpecial Forces will assist the Army in identifying and integrating non-traditional small businesses into its science and technology ecosystem, while offering up to $470,000 in cash prizes and opportunities to engage directly with subject matter experts. The competition will also submit proposals for an Army Small Business Innovation Research Phase I or Direct to Phase II contract valued at up to $250,000 and $2 million, respectively. Army SBIR Projects awarded will include participation in experimentation events to receive direct feedback from end-users and other stakeholders within the Army and DoD.

About the U.S. Army xTech and SBIR Programs

Established in 2018, the Army xTech Program provides opportunities for direct exposure to laboratories, program executive offices, program managers and end-users across the Army. Participants receive detailed feedback from Army and DoD stakeholders and have access to training, mentorship and networking opportunities.

The U.S. Army SBIR Program releases contract opportunities on a rolling basis to respond to current and anticipated Soldier needs. The program will continue to promote new contract releases via topic announcements and email.