Required 01
The funded requirement
Miss the requirement and your best capability is unfundable. Fit means answering a mission need that already has timing, ownership, and money behind it.
Defense acquisition, from the inside
Across the chasm.
Into DoD contracts.
Chasm Opportunities helps dual-use companies turn credible prototypes into fundable defense pursuits. We map the requirement, sponsor, vehicle, and transition path before pursuit spend begins.
36 years inside acquisition SBIR / STTR / BAA / OTA TRL 5-7 focus
01 / The Gap
The best technology doesn't win. The positioned one does.
A working prototype earns interest. Contracts require a funded requirement, a technical sponsor, evaluation fit, and someone accountable for the next step.
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Required 02
The technical sponsor
No sponsor, no score. A TPOC or program advocate who owns the mission need turns "interesting" into something worth pursuing.
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Required 03
The right transition path
Phase I without a path is a dead end. The transition path links the first award to the budget, program owner, and vehicle that carry it forward.
02 / Dave Madden
36 years inside. Now on your side.
I'm Dave Madden. I spent 36 years inside defense acquisition, across research, acquisition, lifecycle management, innovation, and ManTech. I know how requirements become topics, how proposals get judged, and how early awards move toward programs of record. That experience is what the firm runs on.
- AFRL
- AFMC
- AFLCMC
- SAF/AQ
- AFWERX
- ManTech
03 / The BRIDGE Method
We build the span across the chasm.
Eight phases move a pursuit from opportunity discovery to submission archive. We screen the fit, force a pursue/no-go decision, clear compliance, and preserve the learning.
- 01 / 08 Opportunity Identification
Identify
Scan DoD, DoE, BAA, SBIR/STTR, FOA, SAM.gov, and curated channels, then log every matched opportunity against your capability profile.
Output // Opportunity Register
- 02 / 08 OS Creation & Triage
OS Creation
Build a structured Opportunity Summary covering agency, mechanism, deadline, scope, eligibility, funding, fit, effort, and compliance.
Output // Opportunity Summary
- 03 / 08 Client Decision Gate
Decision Gate
Review the OS and log a formal pursue, no-go, or defer. Effort is committed only when the fit is real.
Output // Decision Log
- 04 / 08 Support Model Selection
Support Model
Choose the engagement path: independent pursuit, managed coordination, or full Chasm Opportunities execution.
Output // Engagement Path
- 05 / 08 Proposal Planning & Setup
Planning Setup
Interpret the instructions, stand up the repository, build outline-only artifacts, and lock the structure before drafting.
Output // Proposal Outline
- 06 / 08 Development & QA Review
Develop & QA
Develop the proposal, coordinate technical input, run reviews, and clear every compliance gate before approval.
Output // Reviewed Draft
- 07 / 08 Submission & Archiving
Submit
Finalize approval, submit through the proper channel, capture confirmation, and archive every final and draft.
Output // Submission Archive
- 08 / 08 Feedback & Improvement
Improve
Capture win/loss outcomes, reviewer feedback, and process lessons so each pursuit sharpens the next BRIDGE cycle.
Output // Improvement Loop
Crossing 0%
04 / Services
Services available for the crossing.
Three source-aligned services: business development, program management, and relationship management.
Service
Business Development
Research government customers, assess funding opportunities, target programs, and prepare timely responses.
ServiceProgram Management
Manage cost, schedules, resources, risk, and stakeholder reporting for government-facing work.
ServiceRelationship Management
Build agency relationships, coordinate partners, align participants, and manage expectations.
05 / Sectors
Where commercial capability meets mission need.
Four domains where dual-use technology crosses fastest into defense programs, and where we work most.
01 / 04
Power & Energy
Energy storage, generation, and grid resilience for the contested edge.
02 / 04
Logistics & Autonomy
Uncrewed systems, fleet movement, and the software that coordinates them under pressure.
03 / 04
Advanced Materials & Software
Material qualification, scale-up, and the digital tooling behind both.
04 / 04
Testing & Infrastructure
Measurement, test ranges, and the facilities that prove readiness.
06 / Why Chasm Opportunities
Built to move technology into programs of record.
We built the firm around a single problem: most dual-use startups fail at transition, not technology. The answer is process, affiliation, and judgment applied in the right sequence.
"I built this firm so the 36 years I spent inside acquisition could work for you. Not as advice, but as execution."
Why us 01 / Process
Process
Repeatable 8-Phase Method
The BRIDGE method runs every engagement through 8 phases with decision gates, compliance clearance, QA review, and archived outputs. Not a framework. A production system.
- Decision gates
- QA review
- Compliance
- Archived outputs
Input Capability profile
Gate Pursue / no-go
Output Submission archive
Affiliation
Government & Defense Standing
Affiliation and experience across Air Force research, acquisition, lifecycle, innovation, and manufacturing communities that fund and transition dual-use technology.
AFRL
AFMC
AFLCMC
SAF/AQ
AFWERX
ManTech
Metrology
Commands Research / acquisition
Mechanisms SBIR / BAA / OTA
Role Translate mission pull
Outcomes
Anonymized Results
- Positioned an energy resilience company for a Navy-aligned SBIR pursuit
- Mapped a lab-demo transition path toward an acquisition program owner
- Built a BAA pursuit strategy for a manufacturing capability entering the defense supply chain
- Spearheaded winning proposal in support of submarine industrial base
- Led group of 8 startup founders to Capital Factory for tailored matchmaking
Proof Anonymized only
Path Topic to transition
Focus TRL 5-7
Standing
Vetted & Registered
Not a side project. Chasm Opportunities is a registered, certified, and recognized firm with active government standing.
SAM Registered
DAU Certified
LaunchTN Advisor
Entity SAM registered
Credential DAU certified
Public role LaunchTN advisor
07 / Insights
Field notes from the crossing.
Practical dispatches on SBIR, TPOCs, transition timing, and the acquisition signals founders need to read before they spend pursuit energy.
Dispatch 01 Substack / Insight Apr 14, 2026
SBIR is Back: Navigating the New SBIR/STTR Rules
What tech startups and university innovators need to know
Read on Substack
Dispatch 02 Substack / Insight Mar 18, 2026
Year 3 of SXSW at Capital Factory
Deep Dive Conversations with Tech Founders
Read on Substack
Dispatch 03 Substack / Insight Feb 26, 2026
SBIR/STTR Is Coming Back: Why Smart Teams Are Preparing Now
Small businesses and STTR partnerships need to line up strategies for Day 1
Read on Substack
Join Chasm Crossers and stay close to the path.
Chasm Crossers is the private community for dual-use founders navigating defense acquisition, SBIR/STTR, sponsor logic, and transition paths. Join the room built around the work of crossing into government markets.