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Innovation

Instructor speaks to students at Mason Innovation lab amid equipment
The Smart Grid Lab at George Mason University's Arlington Campus offers hands-on experience to students and professional practitioners. "This lab will enable real-time data collection to facilitate smart cities innovation," said Liza Wilson Durant, CCI's Northern Virginia Node director. Photo by Ron Aira, George Mason University

CCI prioritizes innovation, igniting the creation of jobs and new businesses focused on advanced cybersecurity technologies in Virginia.

Our four regional nodes connect members with incubators, commercialization guidance, and other resources, giving CCI innovators the tools to become entrepreneurs and job creators.

CCI Innovation Flowchart
The CCI Innovation Flowchart outlines five stages of startup growth. The first stage is Ideation, where early concepts and ideas are developed. Startups at this stage are typically at the pre-seed level and may receive funding of around $50,000. Available Virginia funding sources include CCI programs such as CATAPULT (CCI+A, ASCEND), SWVA Ideation Commercialization, the Innovate Cyber Challenge, and the COVA Cyber Clinic, as well as support from VA Venture Partners and SBIR/STTR programs. The second stage is Formation/Feasibility, where startups build seed-stage MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) and prototypes. Funding ranges from $10,000 to $3 million. At this stage, companies can access funding from CCI programs, VA Venture Partners, SBIR/STTR, the Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF), and the Virginia Founders Fund. The third stage is Validation/Launch, which focuses on achieving product-market fit at the Series A funding level, with investment ranging from $2 million to $15 million. Funding sources include CCI programs and VA Venture Partners. The fourth stage is Growth, where companies are working at scale, typically at the Series B+ level, with approximately $30 million in funding. Support at this stage generally comes from private sector venture capitalists and VA Venture Partners. Finally, the fifth stage is Maturity/Exit, where companies have diverse revenue streams and may pursue public offerings or other exit strategies. Funding at this stage typically exceeds $50 million and is sourced primarily from private sector venture capitalists.

Spark of an Idea

Innovation is vital to:

  • Staying relevant in a competitive world.
  • Adapting to a changing environment.
  • Maintaining a healthy business.
  • Creating jobs.

Failing to innovate can lead to:

  • Losing Virginia’s highly skilled graduates and workers to other states and regions
  • Seeing existing businesses shut down or move due to lack of qualified workers.
  • An inability to solve new and unpredictable challenges.

Make that Idea Tangible

A great discovery is almost meaningless without the resources to develop and implement it. CCI helps members of our community start businesses by providing:

CCI members’ Offices of Technology Transfer (or their equivalent) provide:

  • Guidance on invention disclosure
  • Help with legal and patent-filing processes to protect intellectual property
  • Resources for startup companies
  • Introductions to potential investors.
  • Technologies available for licensing. 
  • Direction on compliance requirements.
  • Resources to help develop a business and marketing plan.

Additional Resources

If your college or university doesn’t have an Office of Technology Transfer (and even if it does), you can find helpful resources through the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative, CCI member schools, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and other agencies.

EXPLORE OUR INNOVATION RESOURCES PAGE