Holos, the Madison-based startup putting virtual reality to the test in the classroom, has been awarded a $50,000 contract from the U.S. Air Force.
The Phase I contract allows Holos to conduct a three-month feasibility study to demonstrate the capabilities of its spatial computing software platform in Air Force training units. The missive is largely the same as its classroom technology, albeit loaded with vastly different content, says Holos Co-Founder and CEO Dan Borkhus.
“Instead of learning about Wisconsin history or the Amazon rainforest, it will be used to train users on aircraft, or parts of aircrafts,” Borkhus says of the technology, which is described as a 3D-version of PowerPoint.
The platform will give non-technical Air Force personnel the ability to easily create and share training materials using Holos’ hand, eye and voice-based interaction system, with the ease of the program’s “grab-and-drop” interface.
“We enable [Air Force] personnel to communicate and learn in a more natural, yet scalable way,” the company says. “It only takes minutes for them to create materials that foster direct understanding of concepts.”
The award is a huge win for the company, Borkhus says.
“We were really happy because it gave us some validation for what we’re working on,” he says. “It opens up a new revenue stream, allows us to raise capital, and to hire more people. It just gives us more resources.”
The Holos team is expected to travel to Austin, Texas, in the coming weeks where they’ll present the platform to Air Force professionals at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX units, two research and innovation hubs of the military branch.
“AFRL and AFWERX have partnered [with Holos] to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research process in an attempt to speed up the experience, broaden the pool of potential applicants, and decrease bureaucratic overhead,” the Air Force said in a statement about the partnership. “The Air Force has begun offering ‘Special’ SBIR topics that are faster, leaner and open to a broader range of innovations.”
Just how fast the department would respond was even a surprise to Holos. Borkhus and Co-Founder Tyler Waite say they applied for the award in February, and received the news they were selected as part of the special “19.1 cohort” by the first week in March—an unusually speedy trajectory through the notoriously slow government procurement process.
If the program is proven successful during Phase 1, Borkhus says the company will work to secure agreements with customers within the Department of Defense, potentially giving the startup an advantage during the second phase. A Phase II contract could reward the company with anywhere from a six-figure to a multi-million-dollar contract.
Until then, Holos says it will continue building use cases in the classroom and investing resources into its software to strengthen its platform.
“We’re raising a venture round this spring,” Borkhus adds.
And crossing their fingers.
