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accounting principles, employment prac- tices, banking and funding opportunities. Also, the program provides infrastructure support in the form of a 15,000 square feet building boasting 21 offices with phone and internet services, conference rooms and a receptionist in the front lob- by. The DSTA client-management process draws subject matter experts both from within PDI and from outside sources, said Suzy Hrabovsky, PDI operations director. Startups entering the DSTA program The lab's environmental room holds three environmental chambers that can test how products operate in rapidly changing and extreme temperatures, in extreme levels of humidity, and in extreme altitudes and their associated temperature extremes. have value to both military and commer- cial uses aligned with this nation's defense, security and intelligence needs. According to Perry, DSTA is a 86- step process that includes coaching and mentoring by subject matter experts to prepare startup technology companies to successfully complete an array of federal contracting requirements and commercial- ization of their military specific prototype technologies, while pursuing defense con- tracting opportunities. The process takes between 18 to 24 months, sometimes 36 months, Perry said. Topics include the nuances of corpo- structure, rate 22 | September/October • 2011 government registration and contracting requirements, marketing, must meet certain requirements, accord- ing to Hrabovsky. They must operate un- der a viable business model, demonstrate financial stability, and possess valid tech- nology. DSTA serves both resident and non-resident clients, she said. Resident clients pay rent based on the square foot- age they occupy in the office. Non-resident mentoring occurs telephonically or over the internet. Paige Ladd, another one of Perry's 15 employees, is PDI's marketing and com- munications coordinator. She helps clients with website design and marketing collat- eral, including trade shows. "One of the perks of the program is that their company name gets out there at no cost," she said. While Perry points to Immersion Me- dia and several other clients as success sto- ries, he also said not all clients make the grade. "If they don't make progress or don't get leads or contracts, they may decide this is not for them," he said. "We've also had to ask some to leave because they weren't doing their part," he said. "We (PDI) also do loan programs," Hrabovsky said. "We've provided $170,000 in the last five years. PDI has $75,000 revolving loan program, and we've also provided USDA loans for those in ru- ral areas," she said. In 2009, PDI awarded its first fusion grant to Immersion Media. Perko's com- pany used the $44,000 grant to develop the Jumpmaster Animated Training Sys- tem. The motion capture video will be used for the Jumpmaster Course at Fort Bragg's Advanced Airborne School. "If we had tried to do this on our own, it would have taken a lot longer and per- haps not have happened at all. So, for us, going through DSTA was a necessity. And PHOTOS BY AWAKENING PHOTOGRAPHY

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