New Energy Technology Event Coming to Austin
On February 8–10, 2022, a group of founders, technologists, investors, and market experts will converge at VERTEX | Energy in Austin, TX, to examine new and novel energy technologies that are attracting private and public sector investment. This three-day symposium, hosted by Army Futures Command (AFC), aims to shed light on cutting-edge commercial energy advancements that can also support US Army modernization goals.
“As part of the FY22 budget, the DoD requested billions to invest in next-gen installation and operational energy technologies,” said Lt. Gen. Thomas Todd, Army Futures Command. “The Army is interested in the same energy technology that’s gaining traction in the commercial market and among private investors. It’s the only way we can stay ahead. So concentrating our market intelligence through this event will allow us — and allow participants from private industry — to get a look at these technologies firsthand.”
According to industry reports, in the past five years, “gov tech” companies raised nearly $2B in private investment, indicating major growth — and major opportunities — in the government market. In November 2021 alone, the federal System for Award Management (sam.gov) listed more than 450 energy-related contract opportunities open with the US Army. The Army VERTEX | Energy event will help to inform future investments while also providing attendees with insight into the Army’s funding roadmap directly from the 4-Star Command that determines how and where the Army invests.
This approach is part of a critical AFC effort to ensure Army modernization efforts extend beyond materiel improvements. As part of its modernization plan, the Army wants to diversify and bring more startups and small companies into its portfolio of partners. Doing so at the speed of business will require modernization of formal acquisition processes as well as improvements to the business processes through which those organizations or technologies are discovered.
“The Army is great at gathering operational intelligence to support our missions, but we are less adept at capturing critical intelligence on what new technologies or companies are developing in the commercial market,” said Todd. “VERTEX | Energy is a way to up our game in that area — going beyond what we can discover online and really diving into the technology and how it can help to address some of our most pressing problems.”
Army VERTEX attendees will include personnel from across AFC as well as Army Program Executive Offices (PEOs) with a vested interest in these technologies. It will also include commercial technologists, founders, and market experts who can contribute to a meaningful dialogue on next-generation energy technologies.
While anyone can watch VERTEX sessions virtually via the AFC YouTube livestream, in-person participation will be limited to 150 industry participants per day. In-person attendees will be selected based on alignment between their expertise and critical Army energy use cases.
To learn more about the event or the technology areas that will be discussed, visit armyvertex.com.
VERTEX | Energy is the concentrated source of energy market intelligence for the US Army. This 3-day symposium affords founders, investors, and market experts a rare opportunity to baseline product differentiation while informing the US Army’s approach to next-gen energy and power. Hosted by Army Futures Command, VERTEX | Energy places commercial experts and innovators at the center of the conversation to explore and examine the current state of energy and power technology. Learn more at armyvertex.com.
Army Futures Command is a United States Army command aimed at modernizing the Army. AFC leads the persistent modernization of the Army in order to provide future warfighters with the concepts, capabilities, and organizational designs needed to dominate a future battlefield. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, AFC has more than 26,000 people worldwide. The Army’s six modernization priorities are the focus of our eight Cross Functional Teams: Long Range Precision Fires; Next Generation Combat Vehicle; Future Vertical Lift; Army Network; Air and Missile Defense; Soldier Lethality; Assured Positioning Navigation Timing; and, Synthetic Training Environment. The Artificial Intelligence Task Force and the Army Applications Laboratory also support our efforts. Collaborating with entrepreneurs, scientists, industry, and academia, AFC strives to create the best solutions to keep Soldiers safe and America strong. For more information, visit armyfuturescommand.com.
