BAE Systems Technology Mentorship Program

Program Overview

MassChallenge has designed an accelerator program to identify entrepreneurs with novel technologies and provide a pathway toward technology development and partnership with BAE Systems through mentorship and curriculum to solve challenges faced by end-users.

The BAE Systems' FAST Labs Team and MassChallenge will select up to six, deep-tech, dual-use startups with a potential solution to solve at least one of the challenges below, aligned with BAE Systems' FAST Labs product lines. Selected startups will be invited to an eight-week, virtual program with curriculum supported by the MassChallenge innovation community and expert mentorship provided through technology leaders from BAE Systems.

Program Benefits

Introduction to pathways for partnership with the Department of Defense
Mentorship from expert technology leads from BAE Systems constituent business units
Access to the MassChallenge innovation ecosystem of investment and industry partners
Opportunity for joint technology development with BAE Systems

Eligibility Requirements

Headquartered in the United States or a U.S.-friendly country with a U.S. presence
Technology readiness level (TRL) of 4 or greater
Interest in scaling through both commercial & federal markets
Use case that addresses one of more of the challenges identified

Challenge Areas

Multi-Domain Capabilities:

Low SWAP-C (Size, Weight, Power, and Cost) hardware

Self-contained, longer range (km) LIDAR for airborne surveillance, navigation, and targeting

High Frame Rate multi-band camera sensing solutions
AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) Apertures: Power amplifiers, broadband aperture components, and integrated assemblies

Real-time data processing software

Control interfaces for tactical and operational planning and mission autonomy
Efficient ML (Machine Learning) training approaches using sparse and/or limited data sources

Cyber-Physical Superiority

Identify, characterize, and understand systems operating in the cyber-physical space
Deceive, degrade, deny, disrupt, and destroy systems through non-kinetic methods

Hypersonics & Autonomous Flight Systems

Unique challenges in autonomy and/or exploitation driven by the dynamics and time scales of hypersonic systems
Real-time flight planning including guidance and navigation
Electronics, sensors, and materials to survive extreme environments

Microelectronics/Photonics

Heterogeneous, neuromorphic, AI-enabled, and analog computing architectures
Secure processing, secure by design, cyber resilience, root-of-trust, anti-tamper solutions
50+ GHz transceiver and active array solutions
Extreme environment electronics and space-hardened solutions

Materials and Manufacturing

Manufacturing and assembling technologies for small volumes of reliable microelectronics and microelectronic packages that decreases the cost and time by an order of magnitude
Packaging, 3DHI, interconnect technologies, and high performance materials that significantly increase functional density
High-performance materials for power electronics

Program Timeline

The MassChallenge Advantage

MassChallenge’s proven methodology hyper-focuses on helping founders identify goals and key initiatives, providing access to a meaningful network of experts and mentors, while also providing connection to a deep peer network from across the global community. All for no equity and no strings attached.

About BAE Systems

This effort is supported by the BAE Systems’ Electronic Systems Sector, FAST Labs Business Area, Technology Scouting Group:

Electronic Systems produces commercial and defense electronics for flight and engine control, electronic warfare, surveillance, communications, geospatial intelligence, and power and energy management.

FAST Labs^TMpushes the limits of what is possible; to create advanced technologies that give our customers the edge they need to win and our employees the chance to change the world.

Technology Scouting group spearheads the company's mission to capitalize on external technology disruption and to increase the speed of innovation. We do this by creating strong, productive partnerships with high-tech businesses, local innovation ecosystems, universities, and investors.