Navy's tech scout, Poulsbo business network partner to enhance Kitsap startup ecosystem

Branden Doyle, a former nuclear engineer at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, founded Violett in 2020. The Gig Harbor-based startup developed advanced air disinfection technology that can kill COVID-19 and other viruses in the air with a 36-inch-tall, 10-inch-diameter portable device. Basically a hospital-grade version of an air purifier but a million times more effective, the Violett device has been sold to over 400 customers primarily in skilled nursing and elder care.

Apparently, not only private hospitals need cutting-edge air disinfection technology that prevents people from getting sick or spreading SARS-CoV-2. Doyle plans to sell them to government agencies so Violett devices can one day be used in spaces like military facilities.

However, pitching new products to the government and possibly selling a device or technology to federal agencies could be challenging. There could be different types of forms in an unknown number of systems that the small business needs to fill out. The forms also need to be written in the "right" way so that the applications will be evaluated. Not to mention that the procurement process with the government can be different from that of the private industry, Doyle said.

"If you didn't have an inside scoop on what you're supposed to be doing, you'd be very confused," Dolye said.

Fortunately, with the help of NavalX Northwest Tech Bridge, Doyle was given the correct information to be prepared for their pitch to the government. From funding to sales opportunities, Tech Bridge understands how Violett should prepare all the materials to submit that will allow them to be evaluated.

"We've started to talk with VA hospitals now within the U.S. government space. And all of the relationships that I've built through Tech Bridge are helping with that process of going into the government," Doyle said.

Founded in 2019, NW Tech Bridge is a platform for the Navy to facilitate collaboration with small businesses and innovators new to working with the Department of the Navy. The team is a front door to reduce communication barriers and foster interactions between the Navy, private sectors, academia and federal labs, private financing, and entrepreneurs and startups. They help commercialize new technologies that may solve Navy problems.

Now, NW Tech Bridge has tightened its relationship with Kitsap County's startup ecosystem by signing up a former partnership with Poulsbo-based coworking community, Vibe Coworks. The two parties announced the news in a statement in mid-April, meaning that more opportunities to sell cutting-edge technologies to the Navy — like what Doyle is preparing right now — are open to founders and entrepreneurs in the region.

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In short, if it's too complicated to figure out how to start a conversation with the Navy, innovators can knock on the door of Vibe Coworks, located on 8th Avenue on the second floor of the Centennial building, to get connected with experts. When needing specific innovative solutions from academia or private industries, the Navy can also reach out to Vibe for immediate input on the best private businesses to talk with.

NW Tech Bridge is funded through a nonprofit, Impact Washington, which received money from NUWC Keyport.

Vibe Coworks is a co-working space, now home to over 200 local businesses and remote workers. The company in 2023 launched Matchstick Lab, its programmatic arm that handle all of the company's projects related to innovation and entrepreneurship "to ignite the full potential of startups, scaleups and social enterprises through the power of community, talent, and capital," said Vibe Coworks CEO Alanna Imbach.

The partnership with NW TechBridge belongs to one of the programs under the Matchstick Lab brand, in addition to Business Accelerator, monthly Startup Workshops, Lunchtime Lightning Talks, and more.

Vibe Coworks: Enhancing Kitsap's startup ecosystem

For the past few years, the Tech Bridge has been using Vibe to set up meetings and hold special events. The new partnership strengthens that relationship, as now Vibe will specifically support the Tech Bridge in expanding advisory services to the Pacific Northwest ecosystem, executing a robust lineup of webinars and pitch events, increasing the number of government contracts awarded to Washington–based businesses, in partnership with the Washington APEX Accelerator, and facilitating access to flexible workspace, meeting space and event venues for cross-sector collaborations between the Navy and private sector innovators, according to the statement.

"That's what's really exciting to me," Imbach told Kitsap Sun. "We have two really, really strong entities with huge resources and networks available. And we're now basically putting them in the same room in a way that they're actually able to collaborate and coordinate in a much more intentional way."

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"On the one hand, the Navy comes to the community and says, we have this problem that we need to figure out how to solve. Can anyone figure out a solution to it? We want to hear all of your best ideas," Imbach explained. "The other way of working is that a local company here, who's working on drones, for example, comes to Ralph (Tech Bridge Coordinator and Deputy Director) and says hey, we're working on this crazy, cool technology. We actually intended it for all these private sector applications, but could it do anything to help the Navy?”

Then Tech Bridge can listen to what the company is working on, diagnose its potential, have Navy partners review the products, and connect the startup with potential end-users to possibly make a deal.

"Part of it is for us (Tech Bridge) to get our name out and have companies realize that we're here, and we help them bridge the gap between their startup and doing government work," Ralph Duncan, NavalX NW Tech Bridge's Deputy Director and Coordinator echoed.

Tech Bridge: Expand the network to help Navy, DoD find innovative solutions to combat-related challenges

The problems that the Navy will need new technologies to address can vary from cyber security to autonomous vehicles issues, as well as how to improve the life of a ship, Ralph said. Other parts of the Department of Defense would also need new technologies to solve combat-related challenges. For example, Ralph mentioned a request in which the Army was looking for a tourniquet that somehow contained an anesthetic healing component. Ideally, when the tourniquet is put on an injured service member, it can not only stop the bleeding but help heal the wound when the person is being transferred.

Sometimes, small businesses can help the military in an unprecedented way. Ralph said Tech Bridge was once interested in hearing more about a Bainbridge Island woman who had been inventing a support garment for women over the years as more women pilots are now serving in the military, but all the biomechanical devices that help pilots fly longer are historically designed for men.

Tech Bridge was interested in the potential for the garment to better support women in all services. Ralph's team could connect such innovation with the DoD's Department of Medical Research, who do all the medical research for all the services, he said.

Thomas Williams, a former Navy hull technician and founder of Gig Harbor-based company North Star Tools, said it's good to see Tech Bridge partnering with the coworking community.

"I don't think the Navy does a good job with reaching outside of their own world," Williams said. "They're great in academia. They do well. But I think in terms of just startups, small companies, small companies are the ones that have to really dig in and reach out before they find the Tech Bridge and the APEX (Accelerator)...so it's good that there was this partnership."

Williams' company invented a shipboard multi-tool that combines all the scattered primary casualty response tools into one hand-held tool. Used to work on Navy ships to manage and operate all the ship's plumbing and firefighting emergency systems, the veteran knows finding the required tool, which a lot of time is missing, to timely respond to ship emergencies is a problem. His tool will address the challenges that sailors in his previous position may face in their daily work.

Williams had the idea of developing the tool since he left the Navy in 2017. Starting in May 2022, Williams has been working with Tech Bridge, who connected him with ships and sailors who tested the tool and gave concrete feedback. He finalized the prototype of his product last summer. This month, the tool is open for sale and Williams has sent quotes for two ships who are interested in purchasing.

"I would not be where I'm at without the help of Tech Bridge," Williams said. For example, to design a tool for the Navy, the metal used to build the tool — from the mine it came from to the product's delivery to the ship — the service or products associated with the material need to come from the U.S. or U.S. allies. The so-called Defence Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) was something Willimas had never heard of even with a background of serving as the Navy's hull technician.

"They (Tech Bridge) really did remove the veil of the requirements on what I needed to do to make my tool available and ready for the Navy to purchase it," Williams said. "So now through their help, I am able to just go and deliver all the materials to the Navy engineers... And say, these are what I complies with everything. This is what you're looking at. All the documents are here that you need."

Williams said he first heard of Tech Bridge when he was registering as a service-disabled veteran-owned business and by googling "how to contract with the Department of the Navy.”

"I hope it (the partnership) shortens that hurdle and alleviates the stress of a company trying to work with the government," Williams said.

Following the formal partnership, some webinars and industrial events are already lined up. This includes a public pitch competition and four invite-only internal pitch events that are being planned for the next few months. Vibe will help with the administration work and marketing of these events so more businesses in the region will hear of them and have the chance to interact with the Navy leadership that Tech Bridge will be able to invite, said Imbach and Duncan.

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This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Vibe Coworks partnership brings new ideas to solve Navy problems