GOVERNMENT BUSINESS
Kodiak Robotics | December 07, 2022
Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a leading self-driving trucking company, today announced it has been awarded a $49.9 million, 24-month United States Department of Defense (DoD) agreement to help automate future U.S. Army ground vehicles led by the Army's Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program. This effort will be in support of vehicles designed for reconnaissance, surveillance, and other high-risk missions.
Through this award, which started in October 2022 and was awarded by DoD's Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on behalf of the Army's RCV program office, Kodiak will leverage its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for driverless vehicles that further strengthen national security. Kodiak will develop autonomous vehicle technology for the Army to navigate complex terrain, diverse operational conditions and GPS-challenged environments, while also providing the Army the ability to remotely operate vehicles when necessary.
Wartime is extraordinarily complex with high-risk challenges that often result in troops operating near or behind enemy lines. Deploying autonomous vehicles to perform such critical and dangerous tasks has the potential to significantly reduce the risk to troops, while giving them greater access to the information they need in the field. Additionally, the remote driving capabilities Kodiak will develop for the Army will increase the flexibility of these autonomous vehicles, while further reducing risk for soldiers. The project will also provide a technical pipeline that will enable the rapid development and deployment of new autonomous vehicle technologies as they become commercially available.
"I started Kodiak because I believe autonomous technology can save lives, and helping the U.S. Army develop driverless vehicles for the most challenging operating environments fits perfectly with that goal, We are proud to have the opportunity to leverage our cutting-edge self-driving technology for defense applications, and believe our work with DIU and the U.S. Army will both help strengthen national security and hasten our path to commercial deployment. We owe a debt of gratitude to the servicemen and women who step into harm's way to keep us safe; keeping them safe in return is an honor we take seriously."
-Don Burnette, founder and CEO, Kodiak Robotics.
Kodiak Robotics was the only autonomous vehicle company initially selected for this award out of 33 submissions, thanks to its proven leadership in autonomous systems development and commercialization, as well as its intense focus on safety.
In the first year of this effort, Kodiak will build upon its core competency by applying its robust autonomous software stack for Army specific use cases, including future Army vehicles. In year two, the company will implement its autonomous driving system on off-road vehicles capable of traversing complex terrain and operating remotely in unpredictable and austere conditions.
DIU focuses exclusively on adopting and scaling technologies developed by commercial partners to help strengthen U.S. national security by solving critical field challenges faced by the U.S. military. DIU works to identify innovations in six key technology areas where the commercial sector is operating at the leading edge: artificial intelligence, autonomy, cyber, energy, human systems, and space.
While Kodiak Robotics will continue to focus on its core business of building autonomous trucks for use in commercial applications, this project serves as an important extension that helps to propel its innovations forward. This project shows that Kodiak's core technology has multiple use cases, laying the groundwork for future expansion beyond long-haul trucking.
About Kodiak Robotics, Inc:
Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 to develop autonomous technology that carries freight forward — so people, partners, and the planet thrive. The company is developing an industry-leading technology stack purpose-built specifically for long-haul trucks, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak's unique modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure that optimizes for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the South, operating autonomously on the highway portions of the routes.
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY, CYBERSECURITY
Sprinklr | October 19, 2022
Sprinklr (NYSE: CXM), the unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform for modern enterprises, today announced that it has achieved Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) authorization for Sprinklr’s Unified-CXM Platform at the Low Impact (LI-SaaS) level. With FedRAMP authorization, Sprinklr is prepared to help U.S. government agencies unify citizen experiences.
FedRAMP is a government-wide program aimed to facilitate the adoption of secure cloud services across the federal government by providing a standardized approach to security and risk assessment of cloud service offerings. FedRAMP authorization is required of federal cloud technology vendors.
Delivered via Amazon Web Services (AWS), Sprinklr’s Unified-CXM Platform will help government agencies modernize services and meet citizens where they are across all social media, voice, SMS, email, and digital channels. With Sprinklr’s AI-powered platform, agencies can also reduce administrative burdens to help deliver a seamless, secure citizen experience.
“Citizens expect government agencies to deliver information, content, and resources across modern channels like social media, text, voice, and chat. To effectively meet citizen demands, governments need a modern, unified approach, FedRAMP Authorization is a critical milestone for long-term growth at Sprinklr. It allows us to help our government customers deliver better services and engage citizens across 30+ digital channels.”
-Paul Ohls, Chief Revenue Officer, Sprinklr.
About Sprinklr:
Sprinklr is a leading enterprise software company for all customer-facing functions. With advanced AI, Sprinklr's unified customer experience management (Unified-CXM) platform helps companies deliver human experiences to every customer, every time, across every modern channel. Headquartered in New York City with employees around the world, Sprinklr works with more than 1,000 of the world’s most valuable enterprises — global brands like Microsoft, P&G, Samsung and more than 50% of the Fortune 100.
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EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
BAE Systems | November 25, 2022
BAE Systems and IT services company Purisolve, Inc. have combined forces to form a joint venture (JV), Promoveo Solutions.
The JV is an outgrowth of a U.S. Small Business Administration-approved mentor-protégé agreement between BAE Systems and Purisolve, a historically under-utilized business zones (HUBZone) certified small business.
Promoveo will initially focus on competing to support the Department of Treasury, leveraging Purisolve’s 15 year history with the department, and BAE Systems’ expertise as a top government contractor. The Atlanta-based company will provide federal agencies an opportunity to meet their small business contracting goals for HUBZone contracts.
“Promoveo means to move forward, As the name suggests, with our experience as a leading systems integrator and Purisolve’s expertise in strategic IT support, this JV is poised to provide forward-thinking IT services to the federal government.”
-Al Whitmore, BAE Systems’ Intelligence & Security sector president.
Purisolve’s owner and President Wallace Jones added, We are excited about working with BAE Systems and enjoying many years of shared success.
About BAE Systems, Inc:
BAE Systems, Inc. and its 34,000 people are part of a global defense, aerospace, and security company. We deliver products and services for air, land, sea and space, as well as advanced electronics, intelligence, security, and IT solutions and support services. Our dedication shows in everything we design, produce, and deliver— to protect those who protect us in a high-performance, innovative culture. We push the limits of possibility to provide a critical advantage to our customers where it counts.
About Purisolve, Inc:
Purisolve, founded in 2007, is a professional services consulting firm specializing in client solutions to improve information management, data analytics, and business intelligence. Purisolve is committed to helping clients become strategic data-driven organizations to increase revenues, reduce costs, or improve efficiencies. Purisolve, was derived by combining two words: “purity” and “solutions”. The word “purity” represents unblemished integrity, including professionalism and work ethic, which is a core value of our firm. The word “solutions” is a simple term that represents innovation and customer-focused results for solving problems.
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