SpaceWERX, the space innovation arm of AFWERX, recently announced the nine recipients of its first funding opportunity specifically tailored to bring space capabilities across the ‘Valley of Death,’ or the difficult transition of scaling a high-potential capability into a formal program of record.

The funding opportunity comes through two programs: the Strategic Funding Increase or (STRATFI) and the Tactical Funding Increase or (TACFI). STRATFI and TACFI are designed to accelerate funding for start-ups and small businesses already receiving Small Business Innovation Research or (SBIR) grants, by matching those grants with additional funds from the Department of Defense (DOD) and private capital partners - an influx of cash that can help these businesses develop these capabilities and overcome the Valley of Death.

Now, AFWERX is leveraging these funding programs through its SpaceWERX division to accelerate the acquisition of space capabilities for the warfighter.

In this episode of "The Elara Edge: Expert Insights on Space Security," Elara Nova founding partner Maj Gen (Ret) Roger Teague is joined by fellow partners Rear Adm (Ret) Boris Becker and Jim Sullivan to discuss how Valley of Death challenges affect start-ups and small businesses in the emerging space industry and how the STRATFI/TACFI Programs aim to catalyze funding to find, fund and field space capabilities for the warfighter.

"The Elara Edge" is hosted by Scott King and produced by Regia Multimedia Services. The full story can be found on Elara Nova's Insights page here. Music for the podcast was produced by Patrick Watkins of PW Audio.