Stacy Chin breaks down how to win a DoD SBIR by finding a real problem the military needs solved. Search white papers, network with defense leaders, or join military accelerators to uncover what agencies actually need, then show your technology fixes it.
Your innovation must solve a particular DoD need. Now, to prepare a really strong DoD SBIR, your job is to explain to the reviewers why your innovation is the best solution to solve a particular DoD pain point. And these pain points can be very different across a wide range of different DoD agencies. You still have to convince the reviewers that your innovation is the best solution to that distinct DoD problem. So what does that all mean to you? That means you have to figure out and understand what is exactly going on behind the scenes. So Unfortunately, some of this information can be quite difficult to get, especially since some of those details are kept confidential. But luckily, there are a couple of things that you can do. So first, you can search on Google to find any white papers that highlight problems, recommendations for improvements, and current solutions written by military experts. Second, you can try to network and connect with different leaders within the defense agency. And finally, there are also military-based accelerator programs that your startup can sign up for
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