As new applications of RISE™Technology continue to emerge and take shape, RISE™Robotics’ potential to influence significant change in efficiency and sustainability becomes increasingly evident. Meanwhile, the state of our world today continuously demonstrates the desperate need for large-scale initiatives improving energy efficiency and decreasing environmental impact. With these goals lying at the core of RISE™Robotics’ mission, one of our primary initiatives today is putting our technology into the hands of government agencies capable of executing and delivering benefits around the globe. Decisive Point, a venture capital and advisory firm, is backing and supporting RISE™ in our endeavors to enter the federal market.
Mission and Efforts
Focusing on technology with innovative applications for both commercial and government markets, Decisive Point invests in deep-tech to future-proof America and bring cutting-edge innovations in the areas of national security, energy independence, resilient supply chains, and good governance to tackle the nation’s toughest problems. Decisive Point is uniquely positioned to unlock meaningful value for early-stage ventures through its venture capital fund, base of business and government advisors, and its federally-supported accelerator.
As a venture capital fund, Decisive Point invests in industries at the intersection of technology and government including aerospace and defense, power generation and energy storage, health and human services, and critical infrastructure. The Decisive Point team leverages experience in government contracting and commercial business development to give startup teams an edge when doing business with the government. Decisive Point's accelerator program in partnership with the Department of Defense helps support the advancement of companies of interest and support their integration with lucrative government programs.
Dual-Use Technology
Unlike many investment firms and accelerators working with tech startups today, Decisive Point focuses on dual-use technologies and the companies producing them. A relatively recent term, dual-use refers to technology with a strong commercial market that may also find practical applications in the government and military spheres. Examples include artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, and battery and energy technologies.
When Decisive Point takes on a dual-use company, the ultimate objective is to align the technology for integration into a government program. This process is complex, requiring expertise to guide startups through research and development, testing and evaluation, and finally multi-year contracts establishing long-term procurement and recurring revenue.
Commercial vs. Government Sales
Although sales within governmental spaces bear many similarities to commercial sales, such as the importance of regular communication, some distinctions can profoundly impact a company's chances of success when attempting to secure contracts.
One of these is culture and conduct. Just as the transition from academia to business can jar founders, learning to navigate the governmental framework is a common sticking point for companies new to the space. When conducting business with any federal agency, there exists a particular style of etiquette and language unlike that of the commercial world that founders must employ to communicate their product's value and conduct business effectively. Government buyers, for example, are more mission-oriented than their counterparts, evaluating technology through the lens of long-term goals and projected results.
This ties into the second significant distinction between government and commercial sales, which is the divergence of buyers and users. When dealing with agencies such as the Department of Defense, a product's buyer and its users will not be the same and are often far removed from one another within the organization. Understanding the roles and positions of both buyer and user is key to securing business as well as bridging the communication gap between the two. Buyers in this context are those who not only dictate funding but possess the capabilities to move forward with prototyping, testing, evaluation, and procurement. Meanwhile, users or end-users are the individuals deploying the technology in operational settings. In the case of RISE™Robotics, an example of the end-user would be service members operating forklifts and loaders on an airfield.
Finally, unlike commercial funding that is immediately awarded, government funding and its availability are bound by the federal budget cycle, meaning that buyers' investments in some cases must be withheld until funds are next dispersed. Because of this, the most successful companies dealing in the federal marketplace are the ones that can also rely on revenue from their commercial line of business while navigating what can sometimes be a lengthy federal contracting process.
Indeed, commercial and government sales go hand-in-hand. One of Decisive Point's most essential goals in advising is to create a balance of governmental and commercial activities that hastens development and encourages success in both markets. The best outcome is to avoid contracts that may derail a startup from its commercial vision and instead secure federal research and development funding that directly aligns with the company’s commercial product development roadmap. Ultimately, each side must support the other for a dual-use startup to truly take off.
RISE™Robotics and Decisive Point
With a growing list of commercial engagements and game-changing potential for government operations, RISE™Robotics is an ideal example of a dual-use company deserving Decisive Point’s focus. Decisive Point constantly works to identify opportunities for RISE™Technology to transform government operations, promote RISE™Technology to government buyers, and mediate communications with stakeholders. With both based in Boston, the Decisive Point and RISE™Robotics teams meet regularly and often host government stakeholders and technology scouts at RISE’s Somerville location.
With federal interest growing rapidly in sustainable technologies such as electric vehicles and machinery, Decisive Point projects great success for RISE™Robotics in government applications. As our RISE™Robotics team works on the ground with end-users to assess challenges, Decisive Point supports us in bringing solutions to reality, committing to making RISE™Technology the next great catalyst of advancement in federal energy initiatives.
