SOFWERX 101
- 2. Under a Title 15 Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA): • SOCOM • Inter Agency Partners • Industry Partners/Fellows • FFRDC’s/Labs • Academics/Interns • Hackers/Makers “Big Tent” philosophy which includes: + = ERDC Doolittle NPS CFIC MGM
- 3. A platform designed and operated to help solve challenging Warfighter problems through increased collaboration and innovation. I. Create and maintain a platform to accelerate delivery of innovative capabilities to USSOCOM II. Facilitate capability refinement thru exploration, experimentation and assessment of promising technology CHARTER
- 4. Challenges provided by: • Components (413) • TSOCs and SOF Units (80) • HQ/J-Staff (41) Mechanisms: • Projects (243) • Collaboration Events (79) • Assessment Events (36) • Tech Talks (29) • Prize Challenges (25) • Rapid Prototyping Events (7) • Hackathons (7) • Combat Evaluations (2) IMPACTS Knowledge Transfers (447) Validations (224) Collaborative Project Orders (51) Consignments (74) Transitions (34) SOF Challenge Identified SOFWERX Mechanism Applied Opportunity Released to Ecosystem Submissions Due ~ 30 Days After Release Gov Downselects ~ 10 Days After Submissions Received 1-on-1 Event with Government How it WERX
- 5. Lessons Learned Adoption Profile Psychographic Social Technographic 2.5% 13.5% 34% 16% 34% 16% Social Proof Scarcity Innovators Technologists Creators Early Adopters Visionaries Early Majority Pragmatists Late Majority Conservatives Joiners & Spectators Late Mass Skeptics Inactive The Tipping Point 13.5% 34% 34% 2.5% Critics & Collectors • Maintain momentum. • Pivot quickly when it doesn’t work. • You can’t force adoption; the best idea doesn’t always win. • Find products for your customers, not customers for your products. • Own the numbers and don’t do innovation theater. • Execute fiercely and demand excellence. • Build a team of committed stress reducers.
- 6. Types of Innovation: Consequence Negative Payoff Little Great Likelihood High Speed Slow Fast • Incremental • Serves existing customers or markets. It may involve improved, refined, or “incrementally better” products or services. • Adjacent • Involves expansion to an adjacent business or customer arrangement. This innovation typically leverages the company's expertise but does so in new or innovative ways. • Transformational • Requires the creation of entirely new businesses to serve new markets and new customers. Risk Assessment:
- 7. How Are We Different? • Flexible, non-FAR business methodologies and processes • ~86% of submissions come from the SOFWERX non-traditional ecosystem. ~14% come from Sam.Gov. • Neutral facilitation and ideation • Easy to access & reduced barriers Why SOFWERX? • Quick Wins for the Warfighter • Fail Fast / Cost and Risk Avoidance • Refine/Inform Requirements • Flexibility through additional contracting mechanisms