A strategic alliance has been launched between NATO DIANA, the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, and Boston-based MassChallenge, a well-known worldwide accelerator. This organization was formed by NATO to identify and develop dual-use innovative capabilities throughout the Alliance. As part of their partnership, MassChallenge and NATO DIANA will get together in Boston on May 30, 2024, for a Demo Day to showcase the innovative solutions created as a result of this initiative.
NATO DIANA accelerator locations include five, including MassChallenge as one of the three implementation partners, along with MIT and Starburst. Two customized courses aimed at both dual-use and commercial startups were provided by the program. In particular, the Dual-use curriculum adopted the dual-use framework from MIT, a longstanding MassChallenge partner, and adjusted it in collaboration with DIANA and its network to best meet the needs of the cohort. The program directors picked 44 promising firms from a startling field of over 1,300 applicants by merging curriculum and utilizing MassChallenge’s enormous accelerator network to nurture unique dual-use technology. Three major problem areas—energy resilience, secure information sharing, and sensing and surveillance—will be the focus of the program’s first edition.
Since opening our doors at MassChallenge during the Great Recession in 2009, we have worked with over 4,000 companies. According to Cait Brumme, CEO of MassChallenge, “Our startups have created billions in economic value, including in industries like transportation, cybersecurity, innovative therapeutics, and financial services.” “We are accelerating a cohort of technologies that will build a new economic backbone, globally, through our partnership with NATO DIANA.”
“Luca Mezossy-Dona, co-founder and head of strategic engagement at IONATE, explained that when we applied for the NATO DIANA program, we specifically asked to be in the Boston accelerator site because MassChallenge has a reputation for being a stepping stone for tech startups who are serious about impact.” “We saw the United States as a pioneer in power system innovation and energy tech in general, so one of our main objectives as part of the DIANA program was to spread our ecosystem from Europe to the East Coast. We were just what we needed to join the ambitious and elite network of MassChallenge.”
