Jan. 13, 2021
The Department of Defense is proud to announce the establishment of the Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace (TCDM). The program establishes trusted sources of funding for small and medium-sized providers of innovative defense-critical capabilities, offering long-term strategic benefit and combatting predatory investment practices.
On Jan. 13, 2021, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen M. Lord announced the launch of the Trusted Capital program’s digital marketplace. The TCDM is the gateway to an investment ecosystem designed to promote innovation and ensure access to trusted sources of capital for emerging technologies and critical capabilities required for national security.
Small and medium-sized businesses are vital to the defense industrial base (DIB) and the U.S. economy. Funding is paramount to the success of these firms and newly established businesses are susceptible to predatory investment. According to the current National Counterintelligence Strategy, our Nation’s “adversaries use front companies, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, and talent recruitment programs to gain access to and exploit U.S. technology and intellectual property.” The TCDM was developed to combat these predatory tactics and promote DIB capabilities.
“Trusted Capital works by providing opportunities for trusted financial institutions and qualifying companies to explore mutually beneficial partnerships in support of national security goals,” said Lord. “Aligned with the National Defense Strategy, the Trusted Capital program provides a more lethal force by creating new partnerships in order to reform the way the government will provide opportunity for innovation.”
Led by the Chief Information Security Officer for Acquisition and Sustainment (CISO(A&S)) Katie Arrington and Trusted Capital Director Colin Supko, the program connects vetted investors with qualifying domestic companies critical to the DIB. “I congratulate Ms. Arrington and the entire team involved in making this project a reality,” said Lord. “Through tools like the Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace, the Department of Defense and industry work together to make the Defense Industrial Base more secure.”
Trusted Capital’s military service stakeholders engage in the Marketplace by employing rapid acquisitions contracting vehicles to identify innovative capability providers deemed critical to their supply chains. Such “down-selected” providers of defense-critical and dual-use solutions are candidates for the Trusted Capital Marketplace. Interested capability providers with existing U.S. Government contracts should contact their contracting officer to request an invitation to apply; capability providers with no existing contracts can request a military service down-selection via the Trusted Capital public landing page (https://dodtrustedcapital.force.com).
About Trusted Capital
Trusted Capital (TC) is an Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions
and Sustainment (USD (A&S)) program to strengthen the defense
industrial base and limit threats to national security posed by
adversarial capital. Trusted Capital provides qualifying small to
medium-sized technology capability providers with a range of capital
solutions via “trusted” capital providers. To qualify, capability
providers and capital providers undergo a national security due
diligence process to limit foreign access to critical technology through
foreign investments. The TC strategy lays out three lines of effort:
Trusted Capital Digital Marketplace, Financial Incentives to invest in
national security solutions, and Military Innovation Tours with Venture
Capital/Private Equity Industry. To learn more about the Trusted Capital
program, visit the website at OUSD A&S - Trusted Capital (osd.mil).
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