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CATALYST ACCELERATOR CONCLUDES FIRST INVESTMENT READINESS BOOT CAMP WITH COMPANY SHOWCASE
Two-week program ends with Company Showcase featuring pitches and networking in Colorado Springs
Catalyst Accelerator Investment Readiness Boot Camp
Colorado Springs, Colorado, Oct. 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Catalyst Accelerator concluded its Investment Readiness Boot Camp (CAIRB) on October 23, 2026, following a Company Showcase on October 22 at the Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation (CCTI) in Colorado Springs. The two-week, in-person program, powered by the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Warfare Directorate (AFRL/RJ), was the first Boot Camp of its kind for the Accelerator, and five dual-use, space-focused <a href="https://bitcomme.com/from-bookkeeping-to-business-decisions-finago-brings-ai-to-finnish-companies/” title=”From bookkeeping to business decisions: Finago brings AI to Finnish companies”>companies were competitively selected to participate.
The Boot Camp was designed to help promising, early-stage space companies that have strong technology, early customers, and traction but need capital to mature their products and scale. Beginning October 12, the cohort met in daily sessions with subject matter experts on investment readiness and strategy, scaling, financial planning, and pitch curation. They also met one-on-one with these subject matter experts to receive guidance on their business strategies and refine their data room materials. Ultimately, the companies left with the connections and resources they needed to sharpen their path toward investment.
The Boot Camp culminated in the Company Showcase, which brought together approximately 55 to 60 attendees from the Colorado defense innovation community, including investor firms, government representatives, and strategic partners. It was designed to be more intimate than the Accelerator’s traditional Demo Days. Private invitations went out to early-stage defense investors and strategic partners across Colorado and New Mexico before the event opened to the public. The Showcase began with welcomes from representatives of CCTI, the Accelerator, and AFRL, followed by a keynote from Maj Patrick Whitty, Private Capital & International Ecosystem Lead at SpaceWERX, who shared his perspective on the importance of investing in space startups. Each company then shared a five-minute investment pitch, and a networking happy hour followed, with each company hosting a booth to talk with attendees.
“Our programs have long helped companies develop their business and understand their government customers. We built this Boot Camp to help small businesses take the next step toward investment, and we are proud of the work these five founders put in,” said Shae Thomas, Sr. Program Manager of Accelerator Programs at CCTI. “Thank you to our strategic partners at ONE Bow River, to our sponsors, Wells Fargo and TechNomos AI, and to the subject matter experts who shared their time with these companies. Your generosity and expertise made this Boot Camp possible.”
