NSIN Presents: Starts Combat Feeding – Call for Applicants

National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), in partnership with the Combat Feeding Division (CFD) in the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s (DEVCOM’s) Soldier Center, is conducting a nationwide search to identify companies to participate in a combat-feeding research and engineering (R&E) technologies pitch competition.

A team of subject matter experts will evaluate applicants and select the top 10 companies for the final virtual pitch event on July 21, 2022, with $200,000 in total awarded to the two top solutions. The CFD is making significant investments in this arena, and looking to support the growth of combat feeding technologies in startups that can support various defense applications. Virtual applications are due June 13.

Participating in the program provides several benefits:

• $200,000 in subcontracts awarded to the top two companies (2 – $100,000 contracts)
• Exposure to leaders across multiple branches of the DoD responsible for the development and deployment of combat feeding technologies
• Exposure to Venture Capitalists (VCs) focused on combat feeding technologies
• Access to potential follow-on opportunities with SC

Eligible companies include:

• US Owned and Operated Startup
• Early-Stage Ventures (i.e., little to no DoD contracts, equal to or earlier than Series A)
• Able to deliver a prototype of the product by July 21, 2023

The Combat Feeding Division (CFD) provides the products and services that decision-makers, warfighters, and first responders need when most needed. As a member of DEVCOM’s Soldier Center and the Department of Defense, CFD is a joint program with a unique mission to provide an operationally relevant Research & Development base to deliver solutions for evolving field feeding challenges.

Applications and Pitches will be judged on five criteria:

1. Technical: Soundness, technical merit, innovation of proposed approach; feasibility of proposed solution, and readiness level of the technology to transition into a ration platform.
2. Team: Qualifications of proposed principals, support staff, and consultants.
3. Commercialization: Company has a technology solution that is viable in non-defense markets.
4. Reasonableness: The company’s solution could be tested within the Combat Feeding ecosystem.
5. Quality of Pitch: Company presented a clear and concise overview of their company and technology that demonstrated how their technology is solving one or more of the defined problem areas and responded effectively to questions from the strategic advisors.

Visit the NSIN combat feeding website for more information.