05/30/2025
Twelve intense weeks ago we teamed up with Forge Institute kick-off the inaugural Phoenix Xcelerator — a zero-cost, zero-equity launchpad built to steer breakthrough ideas through the maze of defense contracting. Today at Demo Day the cohort owned the stage, unveiling prototypes that matured into investable companies. Among them: NextGen Light, a laser-powered searchlight that out-ranges, out-maneuvers and outlasts the old xenon giants. By pairing fresh ideas with Power Technology, Inc 's 56-year legacy in photonics, the concept leapt from concept to field-ready hardware.
To the founders, mentors, Arkansas Economic Development Commission , Walton Family Foundation , SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics , Air Force Research Laboratory - AFRL , Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance and others — congratulations on building the next layer of America’s defense industrial base!