BILT Is Among 3 Texas Companies to Land New AFWERX/SpaceWERX Funding

Grapevine-based BILT is among three Texas companies announced as part of the Program Year 2025 Strategic Funding Increase by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force, and its unique division, SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force.

The announcement was made recently at Capital Factory House in Austin. Other Texas companies joining BILT are HTX Labs of Houston and Austin-based Cesium Astro. The initiative is open to small businesses with Phase II contracts awarded within the last two years, allowing them to apply for funding through an annual notice of opportunity.

In 2022, BILT received a $1.7 million U.S. Air Force grant for its 3D “interactive instructions” app. That happened just months after the company began testing its app—which had helped countless consumers with their Weber grills, Delta faucets, NordicTrack machines, and thousands of other products—with the U.S. military.

BILT Co-Founders Ahmed Qureshi and Nate Henderson [Photo: BILT]

“One of the key steps we’ve taken is recognizing that if you’re in the Small Business Innovation Research program and can demonstrate progress on your technology to prepare it for transition, AFWERX wants to invest more funding in that idea and help it cross the valley,” Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force, said in a statement. “If you’re a STRATFI recipient and you’re performing well, that signals a high likelihood of successful transition.”

Funding to bridge the ‘valley of death’

AFWERX said that many small businesses face a funding gap—often referred to as the “valley of death”—between developing a prototype and securing the resources for full-scale production and operational deployment.

It said that while early-stage research and development often receive initial support, many innovations struggle to obtain the follow-on funding and partnerships needed for acquisition.

STRATFI helps bridge that gap by providing between $3 million and $15 million per project to scale innovations for operational use. By connecting private-sector innovators, defense stakeholders, and investors, STRATFI strengthens the defense industrial base and accelerates the transition of advanced capabilities to the warfighter, the initiative said.

Program Year 25.1 AFWERX STRATFI Selections (U.S. Air Force):

Accrete AI
Advanced Nav & Positioning Corp
Agile RF Systems
BILT
Castelion
DittoLive
Firestorm Labs
HTX Labs
Map Large
Nokomis
Physical Sciences
PlanetiQ
Simplesense
Urban Sky Theory
Whisper Aero

Program Year 25.1 SpaceWERX STRATFI Selections (U.S. Space Force):

Gravitics
Albedo Space
Umbra Lab
Cesium Astro
LeoLabs, Inc.
Xona Space
Beast Code
RISE 8

After selection, companies enter a contract agreement, and funding is allocated based on the scope of the project and matching requirements. They collaborate with Department of the Air Force stakeholders, end users, and industry partners to refine and transition their technology for operational use.

Companies must meet key milestones, demonstrate progress, and align their solutions with defense needs. The initiative’s goal is to advance innovations beyond prototyping into full-scale implementation, bridging the gap between Phase II and Phase III.

The Program Year 25.2 Tactical Funding Increase Notice of Opportunity is open for submissions from small businesses with Phase II contracts. TACFI provides between $375,000 and $2 million to help bridge the transition from Phase II to Phase III for emerging innovations.