U.S. Air Force Selects LGNDX for Phase III Deployment of Innovation Exchange

Rare transition from Phase I to Phase III validates platform designed to accelerate technology adoption across the defense ecosystem

WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 16, 2026 — LGNDX, a defense technology company building software platforms for national security missions, announced today that it has been awarded a U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract to develop and deploy Innovation Exchange, a platform designed to accelerate how government organizations discover, evaluate, fund, and transition emerging technologies into operational use.

The award represents a significant milestone for both LGNDX and the Innovation Exchange platform (Apollo EVO). The effort advanced from SBIR Phase I directly into a Phase III award, a rare transition that reflects the government’s confidence in the technology and its potential operational impact. While thousands of companies participate in the SBIR program each year, only a small percentage successfully transition their technology into a Phase III award, and are reserved for technologies that demonstrate sufficient promise for operational use and represent one of the primary pathways for transitioning innovation from research into mission impact.

Innovation Exchange is being developed in partnership with the U.S. Air Force Digital Transformation Office (DTO) and the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to address one of the defense innovation ecosystem's most persistent challenges: connecting government requirements, capable technology providers, acquisition pathways, and strategic partners quickly enough to deliver meaningful outcomes for the warfighter.

"The United States doesn't have an innovation problem. It has an acquisition problem," said Mike Aleo, Founder and Partner at LGNDX. "There are extraordinary technologies being developed across the industry. Too many never reach the mission. Innovation Exchange is designed to reduce friction across that journey by helping organizations identify opportunities, build teams, navigate acquisition pathways, and move faster from concept to capability."

Today, defense innovation remains fragmented across dozens of disconnected systems, portals, contract vehicles, and organizational boundaries. Small businesses struggle to identify the right pathways into government. Program offices struggle to discover relevant technologies. Prime contractors struggle to identify the right teaming partners. Promising technologies often stall between prototype and deployment, creating the well known 'Valley of Death' that continues to challenge innovation efforts across the Department of Defense.

Innovation Exchange is designed to serve as connective infrastructure across that ecosystem, bringing together government stakeholders, small businesses, nontraditional vendors, prime contractors, and strategic partners in a single environment focused on accelerating technology acquisition.

The award also validates LGNDX's broader strategy of building operational software platforms that solve systemic challenges across national security.

Prior to this award LGNDX developed a supply chain risk management platform for the 202 Group under the SBIR program. The platform later became part of BlueVoyant Government Solutions following BlueVoyant’s acquisition of the company. LGNDX has since supported a growing portfolio of defense technology companies, government organizations, and mission focused programs, helping bring modern software capabilities to some of the most important challenges facing the national security community.

"LGNDX was founded to accelerate the very decision making this platform is designed to improve," said Patrick Sims, Founder and Partner at LGNDX. "The award reflects a rare progression from Phase I research into a Phase III operational deployment. Innovation Exchange is built from firsthand experience navigating the defense acquisition ecosystem. We created it because we’ve lived the challenges ourselves. Our belief is simple: the faster the government can discover, evaluate, and field new technologies, the faster needed capability gets into the hands of the warfighter."

The award represents the latest milestone in LGNDX’s strategy to build a portfolio of software platforms that address critical challenges across the defense and national security landscape. The company currently maintains multiple active national security initiatives including active efforts supporting acquisition modernization, mission planning, and AI enabled decision support for defense organizations.