Dallas-based GetChkd Inc. has been selected by AFWERX for a $1.7 million STTR Phase II contract focused on blockchain infrastructure, addressing one of the Air Force’s most pressing challenges, the company announced.
According to GetChkd, the Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience via faster proposal-to-award timelines. The effort aims to change the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business as well as eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution.
Michael Caplovitz, founder and CEO of GetChkd [Image: Michael Caplovitz]
“The opportunity to extend the use of our Blockchain Infrastructure Platform, while also accelerating commercialization in the private sector, is a significant milestone for GetChkd,” Michael Caplovitz, Founder and CEO of GetChkd, said in a statement. “We’re honored to collaborate with AFWERX and researchers at Metro State University to advance this technology.”
GetChkd said that the Air Force began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, expanding the range of innovations the service funded. On August 16, GetChkd said it began to create and provide “innovative capabilities” that will strengthen the nation’s defense.
Founded in 2019, the company said its “state-of-the-art” blockchain infrastructure platform revolutionizes system connectivity, enforces user-specific mappings, and ensures immutable audit trails for every action. That guarantees unparalleled security, accountability, and reliability for a connected system of systems across various domains and classifications, the company added.
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF, the organization said.
Metro State University, in conjunction with MN Cyber (Minnesota), is specialized in IoT security, foreign adversary censorship, and network security. Metro State is recognized as an NSA Designated Center for Excellence in Cyber Defense (NCAE-CD), GetChkd said.
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