Problem Statement

A large Department of Defense Agency was set to award a large and costly contract to a traditional defense contractor for a capability that commercial tech startups were advancing faster and more cost-effectively.

 

Resolution

To address this, my team launched the Disparate Data Challenge via Challenge.gov, seeking intuitive and innovative capabilities to discover, retrieve, and analyze data in disparate formats, schemas, interfaces, and locations. We collaborated with the contracting office to design a novel competition leveraging AI and engaging the commercial tech ecosystem.

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The challenge was conducted in two phases

• Phase 1: Participants submitted functioning capabilities to demonstrate access and retrieval of representative datasets. From hundreds of submissions, 15 winners were selected, each awarded $10,000.
• Phase 2: Winners participated in a “Dem-o-thon” in Washington, D.C., presenting white papers, videos, and live demonstrations to a panel of judges.

   

 

The grand prize winner received $25,000 for its solution which integrated big data search and discovery with intuitive tools for analysts and was easily compatible with common software.

 

Impact: This initiative showcased the potential of engaging startups and commercial tech innovators, delivering transformative solutions at a fraction of traditional costs. It also inspired the agency to rethink traditional contracting practices, paving the way for more agile and cost-effective approaches to innovation.