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Hayden Blackburn, chief operating officer at TechFW, stands outside the organization’s office at the Devoyd Jennings Business Assistance Center, 1150 South Freeway. (Seth Bodine | Fort Worth Report)
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TechFW is looking to the stars to help North Texas entrepreneurs. 

The business incubator and business accelerator is partnering with a NASA-based government program to provide technical assistance to small businesses and speed up the transfer of space technology to the private sector. 

The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, or SATOP, creates partnerships across the state to give technical support — through engineering firms and talent — to fast track the development necessary to launch new companies, create more jobs and increase economic impact. 

The program offers small companies up to 40 hours of free technical support and assistance. 

“That part was a no-brainer for us,” said Hayden Blackburn, chief operating officer at TechFW. 

SATOP is managed by the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership and funded through the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service. The economic partnership initially approached TechFW about becoming part of the program. 

SATOP is designed to provide essential technical aid and accelerate the integration of space technology into business endeavors. 

By engaging with the program, entrepreneurs can address intricate technical obstacles, speed product development and increase the likelihood of market success, according to Andy Thueme, program manager. Using their resources, entrepreneurs can access knowledge, skills and materials that would typically only be available to larger, more well-funded organizations, he said. 

“Initially, when they approached us, it was just to be a marketing partner, to spread the word and get companies to apply and make requests for technical assistance,” said Blackburn. 

But the organization also told TechFW they were going to hire regional representatives to spread the word and create more connections between development organizations across North Texas, engineering firms and other business partnerships. 

“The idea is to scale this and be able to support more small businesses, get more companies involved,” said Blackburn. 

Someone was needed to connect all these economic development organizations across North Texas and the Panhandle to bring in new alliance partners and support more small businesses, Blackburn said. 

TechFW already has a strong network in place, so Blackburn said they will build on that to increase the reach of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program. 

“They don’t have to start something from scratch, building out that network,” said Blackburn. 

Tyler Harrist is a longtime consultant who works with GoVivid, a TechFW company that is developing a product to help vision-impaired people navigate better in the world around them. Harrist will lead the SATOP efforts in North Texas as its new innovation outreach specialist. 

How to request assistance from Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program 

Texas companies are eligible to apply to the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program for 40 hours of free technical assistance or entrance into the Texas A&M Capstone Design Program. Mention “TechFW” in your request form under “How Did You Hear About Us?” 

Requests should be clearly defined and focused on a specific technical issue within one project including, but not limited to, one of the following engineering disciplines: 

Mechanical

Electrical

Electronics

Manufacturing

Chemical

Materials

Environmental

Industrial

Structural

For direct conversations with TechFW about the opportunity, contact innovation outreach specialist Tyler Harrist at tyler@techfortworth.org.

The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program provides entrepreneurs with up to 40 hours of technical assistance to tackle specific engineering challenges. They also offer a program that leverages teams of senior engineering students at state universities to work on more complex technical projects. Called “capstone projects,” these programs were originally offered only through Texas A&M, but the alliance now partners with other engineering schools, though none are yet in North Texas. 

Until their budget was increased in the last legislative session, their work has been confined primarily to the area around Houston, said Bob Payne, director of the alliance. 

“This additional funding is allowing us to develop partners like other economic development organizations to promote the program and to increase the number of alliance partners, like engineering companies, to provide technical solutions to these small businesses,” he said. 

The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program has worked with a variety of companies to bring technologies to market, ranging from health care to night vision goggle enhancement to a stepladder designed for people with mobility impairments. The next step: partnering with local engineering schools to offer more expertise. 

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.