Category: Ecosystem builders
Technology Advancement Center is an economic and business development firm, but the stakes of its work are much higher than those of ordinary cyber organizations.
The Columbia-based cybersecurity nonprofit is an intermediary between academia, small businesses and experts in the field. When problems of infrastructural or national security arise, TAC often gets a call to connect problem-solvers.
CEO Gregg Smith says the war between Ukraine and Russia is one example: If the U.S. military wants to know about rail security, TAC can bring in experts and hold trainings and seminars within 30 days to get answers. Smith and his organization are all about connecting — they’ve helped small businesses earn more than $115 million in contracts, Smith said — and training.
"It’s train, train, train over here," he said.
That training and connecting happens through a variety of programs. One is Small Business Wednesdays, where two or three businesses run product demonstrations for former government and tech business leaders to help those businesses advance their products and make connections with mentors and funders.
Another is TAC’s hacking series, where detailed replicas of key infrastructure nodes like airports, hospitals or ports are built for cybersecurity students to defend against hackers. It’s a proving ground for college students who participate in the competition against military professionals, and many walk away with internships or jobs.
“When these kids are here, it becomes a prime hunting ground for the military to try to pick out new talent,” Smith said.
More than 30 students earned internships out of TAC’s last Hack the Hospital event, and the group is hosting Hack the Railroad Oct. 23–24.
Next up on TAC’s list of priorities are artificial intelligence and quantum computing, both of which are “hot cyber hubs” for the government, Smith said.
