01
Find the real sponsor
We look for the mission owner, technical sponsor, evaluator, and program path behind the opportunity.
About Chasm Opportunities
Built from 36 years inside defense acquisition.
Chasm Opportunities helps dual-use founders read the defense market like insiders: where the requirement lives, who owns the problem, and which path can carry a prototype toward funded adoption.
SAM RegisteredDAU CertifiedLaunchTN Advisor
Founder Dave Madden AFRL / AFMC / AFLCMC / SAF-AQ / AFWERX / ManTech
01 / Founder judgment
Inside experience, turned into execution.
I built this firm so the 36 years I spent inside acquisition could work for founders before they spend proposal energy in the wrong place.
The firm's role
We bring acquisition pattern recognition to the work: opportunity fit, sponsor logic, evaluation language, transition path, and the discipline to call a no-go before effort gets wasted.
02 / Operating doctrine
Three rules keep the work pointed at transition.
02
Match mechanism to maturity
TRL, timing, evidence, and buyer pull determine whether SBIR, STTR, BAA, OTA, or direct program engagement is the better move.
03
Build for transition
Awards matter, but the firm is built around the next step: budget, ownership, vehicle, and a path toward a program of record.
03 / Public credentials
Credibility without exposing the client portfolio.
AFRL Air Force Research Laboratory
AFMC Air Force Materiel Command
AFLCMC Air Force Life Cycle Management Center
SAF/AQ Air Force acquisition office
AFWERX Air Force innovation program
ManTech Manufacturing technology