How AFWERX and SpaceWERX Work with Startups
ASC presents a deep conversation on How AFWERX and SpaceWERX Work with Startups.
AFWERX and SpaceWERX manage roughly $1.3 billion a year as the Air Force and Space Force front door for startups, and the April 2026 SBIR reauthorization just rewrote the rules with $30 million matching awards and new proposal caps. How do these programs actually pick winners, how can investors tell real program pull from early award hype, and what takes a company across the valley of death into production? Join the Abelian Security Council for a candid conversation with a former AFWERX Deputy Director on how Air Force innovation works from the inside.
On the table
Inside the front door: how AFWERX and SpaceWERX are organized, what they fund, and how they decide
The SBIR/STTR pipeline: how Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards move from Phase I to Phase II and beyond, and where companies fall off
Crossing the valley of death: what it takes to turn an early award into a program of record or production contract
Follow the money: why established contract vehicles matter so much, and how new entrants can get access to them
What's next: where Air Force and Space Force innovation programs are headed, and what that means for startups and their investors
Speaker
Karen Roth spent more than 20 years in Air Force innovation and engineering leadership, including as Deputy Director of AFWERX and as Chief Engineer of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate in Rome, New York, where she oversaw a $1.7 billion engineering portfolio and led organizations of more than 400 people in command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) and cyber science.
Her expertise spans digital engineering, systems engineering, C4I and cyber science, and the SBIR/STTR pipeline. She holds a Master of Engineering in Systems Engineering from Cornell University and a B.S. in Software Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Today Karen is Founder and Principal of RothSalluzzo LLC, advising early-stage dual-use companies and ecosystem organizations as a board member and strategic advisor.
Moderator: Owen Davies, CEO of the ASC
Submit questions for Karen when you register and no later than Friday, November 13. We'll do our best to make sure submitted questions are answered, but we can't guarantee every question will be covered.
Good to know
Admission is subject to pre-qualification criteria.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Attendees remain anonymous, and the session is held under the Chatham House rule.
A recording and transcript will not be available after the event.
Speakers participate in their capacity as private citizens. None of the views expressed are endorsed by political organizations, government, military, or current and prior employers. Events are for informational purposes only. Nothing discussed is investment advice, an offer, or a solicitation.