Colorado Springs, Colorado, April 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Catalyst Accelerator concluded its Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Orchestrator (CAAMO) cohort with a Demo Day on April 13th, 2026 at the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs. The event brought together approximately 130–140 attendees from across the defense innovation ecosystem, including representatives from NASA, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Delta 7, and other government, industry, and academic partners.
The CAAMO cohort focused on advancing solutions to support Space Delta 7’s need for an AI/ML-driven Orchestrator capable of enhancing and automating the Tasking, Collection, Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (TCPED) lifecycle. While the existing DEL 7 architecture is structured as a production line with specialized squadrons executing each phase, much of the workflow today remains manually driven, with only limited automation.
Selected through a competitive process for their technical maturity and mission relevance, six companies began the Accelerator on January 12th, 2026. Over the course of the program, they explored how AI/ML can be integrated across the enterprise to automate tasking, improve data processing and analysis, and deliver timely, actionable intelligence to end users. By combining machine learning with operator expertise and intelligence tradecraft, the Orchestrator concept aims to transform raw data into predictive insights through modeling, simulation, and visualization. Gabe Mounce, Director of AFRL Outreach and Technology Engagement in New Mexico, Chief Strategy Officer for SpaceWERX, and Chief of Space Force Accelerators, shared, “AI doesn’t matter unless it shows up in the mission—and that’s exactly what this cohort is doing. They’re not just building tech, they’re connecting it, scaling it, and making it usable where it counts.”
Key areas of focus for the cohort included AI/ML implementation and integration, automated data collection through crawlers and scrapers, advanced modeling and simulation tools, data analytics platforms, tipping and queuing capabilities for multi-discipline intelligence collection, and dissemination tools for delivering insights to stakeholders. Collectively, these capabilities are intended to enable a shift toward a “man on the loop” approach, accelerating decision cycles, improving operational responsiveness, and strengthening the effectiveness of the kill chain.
Throughout the Accelerator, companies engaged directly with operational users and technical experts from the government to better understand mission requirements and refine their solutions accordingly. Participants also received targeted business mentorship and strategic guidance from a group of outstanding Commercial Navigators, including: Kelly Greiner and Brandon Whitworth (RAFT), Cinidi Brothers (Duality Systems), Ernest Campos (American Systems), Gregg Walsh (COLSA), Matthew Sulkosky (Millennial Software), Chad Hartman and Danielle Storan (Integrity ISR), Matt Dodge, Matt McGuire, and Terry Volz (Booz Allen Hamilton), and T.I. Weintraub.
Demo Day marked the culmination of the cohort’s work, highlighting the evolution of each company’s technology and its alignment with national security mission needs. The event opened with welcome remarks from Amy Abbott, Executive Director of Catalyst Campus, and Gabe Mounce. The keynote address was delivered by Kenneth "Bama" Burnett, Technical Director of Space Delta 7, whose remarks emphasized the operational importance of AI-enabled intelligence orchestration in maintaining decision advantage in contested environments. Company presentations and networking followed, enabling direct engagement between founders, government stakeholders, and industry partners.
Cohort companies included:
Aegnix LLC (Colorado Springs, CO) Aegnix builds next-generation artificial intelligence agents on a swarm-style orchestration platform. Our AI tools enable the rapid creation and deployment of AI Agents in neural network configurations. Aegnix offerings deliver speed and efficiency in model creation and deployment, reducing costs and technical complexity. Our proprietary platform technologies change the way engineering teams connect artificial intelligence and machine learning models.
Kestrel (Boise, ID) Kestrel delivers scalable, autonomous sensing-as-a-service for modern command & control, intelligence, and business operations. Our software platform, Kestrel Intelligence, is a multi-agent AI system to network disparate sensors and orchestrate them for mission and business objectives. Kestrel's founding team includes operators and intelligence officers from the CIA and Air Force who also have over a decade of experience building AI systems at Stanford, Google X, and C3 AI. Decision advantage in today's dynamic world requires proactive information superiority--Kestrel delivers information superiority as a service.
https://www.kestrelintelligence.com/
Lunar Station Corp (Cambridge, MA) Lunar Station™ serves multiple high-stakes domains where information disparity can lead to catastrophic mission failure. We deliver the intelligence layer required to navigate complex planetary and orbital environments with absolute precision. This framework bridges the gap between critical operational problems and our advanced technical solutions. We provide government and commercial executives with the predictive clarity needed for strategic dominance across space, sea, and simulation.
https://www.lunarstation.space
Soresu LLC (Aurora, CO) Soresu is a cleared software services provider building intelligent automation solutions to enable faster threat response and mission-critical decisions. We specialize in applied AI and machine learning for ISR systems, Multi-INT data fusion, and automated data distribution. We advance applied AI for defense by turning distributed systems into living networks that learn, adapt, and persist under pressure. Our flagship technology, SWIFT-A, orchestrates space, air, and ground sensors to maintain custody and detect events autonomously, even in degraded environments. By decentralizing inference and decision-making, SWIFT-A transforms disconnected sensors into a self-organizing swarm that keeps awareness alive when the network goes dark. We move fast, take smart risks, and bring cutting-edge AI to the most demanding missions on Earth and in orbit.
Tempest Droneworx (Houston, TX) Tempest Droneworx is on a mission to make information contextual, actionable, and in real-time to prevent emergencies from becoming tragedies via early warning. Tempest’s software agnostically fuses data from drones, sensors, cameras, satellites, etc. into real-time contextual visualizations, providing immediate insight from the edge to command. Combined with autonomous multi-drone operations, the Company enables mission-critical support for force protection, ISR, and rapid response operations across defense and commercial landscapes.
Worldscape Technologies, Inc. (Redmond, WA) Worldscape Technologies, Inc. is a veteran-owned company founded by former Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta engineers who built some of the world’s most scalable enterprise and gaming systems. Its flagship product—the Worldscape Platform—is a next-generation, dual-use Data Fabric and Agentic AI environment that unifies data, models, simulations, and AI agents into one secure, distributed control plane. Built on Microsoft Orleans, GraphQL, and an Entity Component System (ECS) architecture, Worldscape allows billions of entities and agents to interact in real time across cloud, edge, and disconnected domains.The platform delivers machine-speed decision support, federated simulation, and digital-twin capability for defense, disaster response, and industrial optimization—creating an unparalleled Decision Advantage™ for government and enterprise users. Worldscape’s composable architecture is redefining how humans and AI collaborate securely across all domains—from space to subsea.
The Catalyst Accelerator remains committed to empowering startups that are strengthening national defense capabilities. By supporting early-stage innovators and connecting them with key government stakeholders, the program advances operationally relevant solutions that address critical mission needs and contribute to United States space and defense superiority.
About Catalyst Accelerator
The Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate and United States Space Force’s Catalyst Accelerator is a national security accelerator headquartered at Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. CCTI, a Colorado 501(c)(3), is a collaborative ecosystem where industry, small business, entrepreneurs, startups, government, academia, and investors convene to promote innovation and advance mission-focused technology development. The Catalyst Accelerator provides mentorship, government engagement, and business development support through a structured, cohort-based program that strengthens dual-use technology transition pathways.
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Shae Thomas Catalyst Accelerator 719-465-7556 Shae.Thomas@CatalystCampus.Org
