Our Story
From Our Founder
A few years ago, I planted some milkweed in my yard to support the monarch butterfly whose population had dropped precipitously in the last decade. (Milkweed is the only food source for monarch caterpillars.) That first year I successfully released 14 monarch butterflies…and learned plenty about natural selection along the way. Turns out going from caterpillar to butterfly is actually a long shot with only 5% of caterpillars successfully making the transformation. The next year, taking what I learned, I created a more supportive environment in the yard and timely intervention (moving the caterpillars into a cage to protect them from predators) and released 80 monarch butterflies that year. I’ve spent 40+ years in the defense acquisition environment; 28 years as a USAF Program Manager, as well as time at a major defense contractor, a small start-up business, and most recently with MTSI supporting the SpaceWERX organization. Turns out the journey of the small business innovation entrepreneur is not unlike the journey from caterpillar to monarch butterfly. Only 8% of companies awarded SBIR contracts successfully transition their technology. While supporting the SpaceWERX Orbital Prime program, a colleague (Dyan Finkhousen) and I developed the Cohort Development Program to build a more supportive environment for our tech entrepreneurs along with some timely mentoring through commercially proven ecosystem orchestration. Over 30% of the Orbital Prime cohort have successfully transitioned their technology. Well a good start there is still more to do. I founded MonarchWERX to be able to offer my experience more broadly to those in the innovation ecosystem, particularly those looking to enter the federal market. We look forward to helping you “Transform your Innovation Into Reality”.
The Challenge
20% of small businesses fail within the first year, and 50% fail within 5 years. The commercial technology innovation landscape is complex. Successful technology entrepreneurs need to be laser focused to transform their ideas into world changing solutions. However, it’s not enough to just develop the underlying technology; they need to make it happen profitably with a sustainable business model. If you are a dual use company or looking to sell into the federal market, the vagaries of the federal procurement system only add to that complexity. Successfully navigating this landscape isn’t just twice as hard, the complexity goes up exponentially. Entrepreneurs spend increasing amounts of their time burning through their roll-a-dexes, exercising their networks, or doom scrolling looking for solutions to the business compliance, staffing, funding, business development and a myriad other problems they face on their journey. All this distracts management’s focus from developing their world changing solution, delays the time to market, and puts unnecessary burdens on precious strategic organizational resources.
Our Approach
If you find yourself overwhelmed on your entrepreneurial journey, MonarchWERX can throw you a lifeline. We are an outcomes-oriented consulting company serving as a trusted advisor and proven collaborator dedicated to achieving mission success. We don’t simply provide expert advice and then move on. We roll up our sleeves and work side-by-side with our clients until they achieve the outcome they are looking for. We architect an ecosystem of collaborators and organizations around your business designed to help you access the support you need with speed and precision. You can now stay focused and spend your precious time on the things that motivated you to start your business in the first place and developing that world-changing solution. Our ecosystem orchestration approach accelerates innovation by aligning digital infrastructure, strategy, and collaboration across stakeholders. Whether you are an innovation start-up looking to build an ecosystem or scaling a more established business and need more focused support, MonarchWERX and our strategic partners are here to get you safely across the “valley of death”.
