MassChallenge is one of two sites in the United States partnering with The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to host an international startup bootcamp.
The Boston-based nonprofit accelerator is hosting the NATO-selected cohort, and will lead the 13 participating startups through a six-month curriculum. Its objective is to introduce the startups to new markets, assist them in beginning a relationship with the Department of Defense, and identify avenues for new capital. MassChallenge’s application was selected by the DoD to be a bootcamp site.
“This allows us to play a role in a really critical, but still growing, ecosystem,” said MassChallenge CEO Cait Brumme.
The goal of the NATO initiative is to bolster deep tech and so-called dual-use startups, which have applications in both the defense industry and the commercial sector. Its official name is NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA.)
Optimistically, said Brumme, an intention is to foster interoperability among the different technologies, meaning that participating NATO countries would be able to use the work of other participating startups, regardless of country of origin.
Four other sites globally are hosting the DIANA bootcamp. The only other U.S. site is in Seattle. The remaining three are in Turin, Italy; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Tallinn, Estonia.
All the incubators will take the participating startups through a curriculum intended to accelerate the development of technologies that can be applied to challenges NATO is facing. MassChallenge worked closely with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Mission Innovation X team in developing the curriculum, which NATO will use across sites, Brumme said.
The 13 startups participating in the Boston-based bootcamp with MassChallenge were selected by NATO based on likelihood of being able to create relevant dual-use technologies. NATO sought startups working in challenge areas including energy, resilience, secure communication, and sensor technology.
The cohort began their six-month work period this week. Four of the startups are based in the U.S, while the remaining are international, coming from as far as Turkey. Throughout the six-month bootcamp, representatives from the companies will come to MassChallenge several times for in-facility intensive training and for introductions to the defense industry.
The startups received an initial grant from NATO, and will be eligible for a second round of cash if they are selected for continuation after the six-month initial period. NATO launched a specific fund to invest in dual-use technologies, Brumme said.
