As part of its participation in the inaugural Defense Innovation Voucher Program (DIV) Grand Prize Pitch, Planck Aerosystems, a developer of specialized drone technology, was awarded a $25,000 voucher.

Based on their accomplishments, goals and overall involvement in the program, five DIV companies were chosen to participate in the DIV Grand Prize Pitch. Planck Aerosystems was selected as the winner by a live voting audience and a panel of judges.

The other four finalists were EpiSci (EpiSys Science Inc.), Fuse Integration, Inc., GET Engineering Corporation and Trabus Technologies.

“Planck is thrilled to win the Grand Prize Pitch event and be a part of DIV’s first year,” says Dave Twining, COO of Planck Aerosystems.

“Thanks to San Diego Regional EDC, Booz Allen Hamilton and Propel San Diego for your guidance and support through the DIV program. We’ll be using the funds to scale our marketing efforts, which we hope will generate additional sales and investment in San Diego.”

The DIV Program was launched in 2018 to help small and mid-sized defense companies in San Diego scale. Throughout 2018-2019, the DIV Program worked directly with 15 local defense companies, providing them with strategic boot camps and business consulting services through an initial $15,000 grant to help in strengthening and expanding company operations.

In its inaugural year, the DIV program provided chosen participants with two primary benefits. Companies selected a pre-approved contractor to help with a variety of services such as marketing, certifications needed for government work and strategic planning. Participants were also enrolled in a six-month-long boot camp, which provided best practices and strategies on different topics such as contract procurement, fundraising, and marketing and branding.

DIV is managed by San Diego Regional EDC. Most of its funding comes from Propel San Diego, a grant award provided to the City of San Diego from the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment. Booz Allen Hamilton, the presenting sponsor, provides additional programmatic funding for DIV.