FedTech 10: 7 Regions Driving Innovation

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As part of our 10-Year Anniversary Countdown, we’re spotlighting 7 Regions Driving Innovation, where FedTech’s work has delivered measurable results over the past decade. These example, from the Inland Empire to the Mountain West, and from India to Japan, illustrate how we’ve partnered with federal agencies, research institutions, and international allies to transform breakthrough technologies into ventures that advance national and global priorities. While these are just seven highlights, they reflect the broader scale of FedTech’s work across the U.S. and abroad.

Inland Empire, California

FedTech powers the Crucible programs in partnership with the NavalX Inland Empire Tech Bridge, turning federal R&D into deployable dual-use solutions. In the last five years, Crucible has coached 37 participants, accelerated 5 companies, and created 4 new ventures, raising $5.6M in post-program investment. The program has delivered over $20M in GDP contribution and $2.9M in tax revenue, proving the Inland Empire as a launchpad for defense innovation.

South Carolina

Through the AMC Beacon Project with Savannah River National Laboratory, FedTech is building a commercialization engine for advanced manufacturing. This multi-phase initiative to position the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC) as a national hub for energy innovation and commercialization incorporates market analysis to guide AMC’s strategic focus, whitespace analysis to enable a targeted, data-driven innovation agenda, and comprehensive stakeholder engagement to ignite private-sector partners and catalyze regional economic growth. The first year targets include identifying new commercialization priorities, capability gaps, and generating partnership inquiries. 

Massachusetts

Since its inception, FedTech has partnered with leading universities, including MIT, UMass Lowell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and UMass Dartmouth, to bring lab innovations to market. More recently, we joined forces with MassCEC to launch the Massachusetts Climatetech Studio. Across the state, we’ve engaged 68 entrepreneurs and 6 labs, resulting in 13 ventures, 37 accelerated startups, and nearly $493M raised by alumni. These efforts have created more than 960 jobs, strengthening Massachusetts’ role in advancing federal priorities in energy, defense, and advanced manufacturing.

Montgomery County, MD

FedTech administers Montgomery County’s Technology Innovation Fund and Founders Fund, managing $10M in awards for local startups and small businesses. In the most recent cycle, 58 companies were funded with $8.8M, projected to create 492 full-time jobs across IT, life sciences, AI, and advanced manufacturing. These investments are fueling inclusive entrepreneurship while building regional capacity aligned with national innovation priorities.

India

FedTech’s India to America (I2A) Launchpad, in partnership with IndusBridge Ventures, supports Indian dual-use startups seeking to partner with US Defense Department programs and enter U.S. markets. Our first two cohorts have included workshops in India and tailored support for navigating U.S. defense and commercial pathways. By aligning with the U.S.–India INDUS-X initiative, the program builds cross-border ventures that advance both nations’ security and technology priorities.

Japan

Through the J-Bridge CleanTech Connector, FedTech links U.S. startups with Japanese corporates for pilots, partnerships, and investment. To date, we’ve accelerated 12 Japanese and 30 U.S. companies through JETRO’s J-Bridge platform, facilitating cross-border collaboration in innovation. This work expands commercialization pathways for clean energy and advanced technologies, strengthening allied ecosystems aligned with U.S. and Japanese priorities.

New Mexico & the Mountain West

FedTech has built a strong footprint in the Mountain West by helping launch and accelerate deeptech companies from federal research. Through programs like DOE Boost with Sandia National Laboratories, we helped launch 12 companies from federal and university lab technologies and accelerated 26 startups tackling critical energy challenges. In addition, the SBA Regional Innovation Cluster in the Four Corners connected fragmented state-level efforts into a unified regional strategy for energytech. In its first year, the Cluster engaged 20 startups, recruited 11 cross-sector leaders to its Advisory Council, engaged 15 subject matter experts, and conducted 100+ stakeholder interviews, resulting in a novel ecosystem activation model with the potential to reach 100+ startups over the next five years.

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Across these seven regions, FedTech has supported entrepreneurs, built ecosystems, and accelerated startups that turn federal R&D into solutions for national security, energy resilience, and economic growth. From jobs created to cross-border collaborations, the outcomes show the power of connecting regional ecosystems to federal missions. As we continue our 10-Year Anniversary Countdown, 7 Regions Driving Innovation reminds us that these highlights are part of a much larger story—one that spans across the nation and extends to allies worldwide.