Software and services company Collaboration.Ai has been awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract valued at $10 million with the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). As part of the four-year agreement, Collaboration.Ai will provide ecosystem development, facilitation, crowdsourcing, and networking support for the AFWERX Challenge program, which taps top subject matter experts in the U.S. and allied countries to accelerate Air Force innovation.
“We’re proud to continue our relationship with the Air Force in support of AFWERX Challenges,” said Brennan Townley, Collaboration.Ai CEO. “By efficiently harnessing hidden and siloed talent, we’re able to help fast-track groundbreaking ideas. It’s a great example of how cross-sector teams can achieve synergy and tackle complex problems.”
The company’s first project under the new charter will launch in May 2021. It centers on a high-speed vertical take-off and landing concept to enable runway-independent military missions, such as humanitarian rescues, personnel transfers, and equipment deliveries. Working with the USSOCOM, Air Force Research Labs (AFRL), Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), and AFWERX teams, Collaboration.Ai will engage military, industry, and academic talent to uncover fresh thinking, advance new technologies, and expand the AFWERX community.
Previously, the Air Force has awarded Collaboration.Ai Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III IDIQ contracts. Since 2019, the company has supported 15 AFWERX Challenges addressing a wide range of subjects, including personnel recruitment and well-being, renewable and resilient energy management, and integrated space operations. To date, these efforts have resulted in 27 prototyping contracts.
ABOUT COLLABORATION.AI
Collaboration.Ai is a Minneapolis-Saint Paul based software and services company with employees and strategic partners around the globe. Our mission is to help organizations rapidly and reliably optimize networks and advance innovation. Using design thinking and artificial intelligence, we open up opportunities for clients in public, private, and nonprofit sectors to forge valuable connections, create meaningful engagement, and develop groundbreaking ideas. To learn more about us, visit collaboration.ai.
ABOUT AFWERX
Established in 2017, AFWERX is a product of the U.S. Air Force, directly envisioned by former Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson. Her vision of AFWERX: to solve some of the toughest challenges that the Air Force faces through innovation and collaboration among our nation’s top subject matter experts. AFWERX serves as a catalyst to unleash new approaches for the warfighter through a growing ecosystem of innovators. AFWERX and the Department of the Air Force are committed to exploring viable solutions and partnerships to further strengthen the Department, which could lead to additional prototyping, research & development and follow-on production contracts.
