to buy under the conflicting constraints of our system. So let’s accept the rules and play by them. Who Would Have Guessed? Federal funding of new ventures parallels the rush by the private sector to solve government problems. In-Q-Tel was created in 1999 as a private, independent organization tasked with assisting the CIA and the Intelligence Community in developing and acquiring cutting-edge technologies. This fund has invested in more than a hundred companies since its inception. The Army formed OnPoint Technologies in 2003. In 2005, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration established the Mercury Fund. Currently, the Navy is considering its own fund and more agencies are expected to jump on the venture capital bandwagon. Who would have guessed that the staid old federal government would jump into the venture capital business? It is truly becoming a Silicon Beltway. Playing the federal sales game can be frustrating and rewarding. Don’t roll the dice in DC unless you know how the game is really played. Otherwise you will be taking unnecessary risks with your hard-earned dollars.
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