The document discusses the differences between invention and innovation. Invention refers to something newly created or discovered, while innovation refers to changes made to existing products, ideas or fields. It then provides charts showing the top barriers and enablers to innovation. The next sections explain how SOFWERX works as a platform to help solve warfighter problems through increased collaboration and innovation between government, industry and academia. It outlines the process SOFWERX uses and discusses lessons learned around diffusion of innovation theory. Finally, it provides SOFWERX's value propositions to different stakeholders.

2. Invention vs. Innovation
• Invention: can refer to a type of musical composition, a falsehood, a
discovery, or any product of the imagination. The sense of invention most
likely to be confused with innovation is “a device, contrivance, or process
originated after study and experiment,” usually something which has not
previously been in existence.
• Innovation: can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing
product, idea, or field. One might say that the first telephone was an
invention, the first cellular telephone either an invention or an innovation,
and the first smartphone an innovation.”

3. Barriers to Innovation
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00%
Lack CEO Support
Inability to Pick up on Signals Critical to Future Business
Other
Recruiting/Not Enough of High Demand Skillsets
Lack Executive Support
Not Adopting Emerging Technologies
Lack Strategy, Vision
Lack Budget
Inability to Act on Signals Critical to Future Business
Cultural Issues
Politics/Turf Wars/No Alignment

4. Enablers to Innovation
0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00%
Other
Correct Technology/Infrastructure
Organization Accepts Failure Well
Correct Level of Funding
Correct Approach, Tactics
Correct Strategy, Vision
Correct Team, Types of Employees
Ability to Test, Learn and Iterate
Leadership Support

5. Under a Title 15 Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA):
+ =DEFENSEWERX
A platform designed and operated to help solve challenging warfighter problems
through increased collaboration and innovation

6. Nomination
Applied SOFWERX
Mechanism
Ecosystem
Opportunity
Ecosystem
Announcement
Submissions
Government
Downselects
Event with Govt 1 v
1
Discussions
Consignments, CRADA
OTA/MTA/FAR
SWX B2B
Agreement Prototype via
Collaborative Project
Order (CPO)
~30
Days
~30
Days~10
Days
How it WERX

7. Managing Risk
Typical Government
Risk Matrix
Consequence
Negative
Payoff
Little Great
Liklihood
High
Speed
SlowFast
Liklihood
Consequence
SOFWERX
Risk Matrix

8. Lessons Learned: Theory of Diffusion of Innovation
Adoption Profile
Psychographic
Social Technographic
The Tipping
Point +
2.5% 13.5% 34% 16%34% 16%
Social ProofScarcity
Innovators
Technologists
Creators
Early
Adopters
Visionaries
Early
Majority
Pragmatists
Late
Majority
Conservatives
Joiners &
Spectators
Late Mass
Skeptics
Inactive
The Tipping
Point
13.5% 34% 34%2.5%
Critics &
Collectors
• Never lose momentum.
• Pivot quickly when it doesn’t
work.
• You can’t force adoption, the
best idea doesn’t always win.
• Find products for your
customers, not customers for
your products.
• Own the numbers and don’t
do innovation theater.
• Execute fiercely and demand
excellence.
• Build a team of committed
stress reducers.
The Theory
Lesson Learned

9. Value Proposition
Value to Industry, Academia & Labs
Direct ecosystem alerts sent for opportunities
Helps provide or make clear USSOCOM
processes and / or desires
Provides venues to interact with stakeholders
and OGA
Lower barriers to entry
Agile B2B processes
Neutral facilitation
Value to Government Partners
Making new tech and capabilities available
Pacing commercial tech gains and threats
Better informed and quality decision making
Accelerate entre into acquisition cycles
Building relationships
Low cost, iterative cycles