Finalists in the Challenge will pitch on stage in Baltimore on July 23 for five minutes, followed by a two minute Q&A from a review panel.
Review Criteria
Value/impact of the solution on the civilian and defense communities. Meets a high priority need. 40 points
Readiness of the proposed solution. How ready is the product or solution for production? How will the product improve readiness? 15 points
Scalability of the proposed solution. Is there proven scalability? Does the company outline plans to scale? 15 points
Financial viability of the solution or business model. Is there a discernible, addressable market for this product? 15 points
Quality of the pitch. Did it meet time constraints, deliver relevant information, and describe the solution effectively? 15 points
Categorization
We will award $100K to medical solutions and $100K to CBRN solutions as indicated below:
Medical
- Next-Gen Prevention – vaccine platforms, mRNA-based countermeasures, antibody development, and deployable biotechnologies
- Advanced Treatments – small molecule therapeutics, nerve agent treatments, gene-based medical countermeasures, and rapid-response therapeutics
- Smart Diagnostics – AI-driven medical decision tools that identify CBRN agents, microphysiological systems, prediction of synthetic binders, synthesis of identified binders, and assay development
CBRN
- Threat Detection – wearable bio-sensors, sensor integration, and agent identification technologies
- Integrated Protection and Response – CBRN-resistant materials, self-detoxification systems, decontamination technologies, smart isolation, and quarantine solutions
- Adaptive and Autonomous Systems – robotics, sensor fusion, AI-powered situational awareness, and real-time health monitoring tools
Prizes
1st Place Medical: $60,000
1st Place CBRN: $60,000
2nd Place Medical: $30,000
2nd Place CBRN: $30,000
3rd Place Medical: $10,000
3rd Place CBRN: $10,000