SOFWERX contracts surpass $500 million, mark dramatic growth since 2023
NewsMay 18, 2026
TAMPA, Florida. SOFWERX, the nonprofit innovation lab that helps small and non-traditional defense firms do business with U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), has contracted $503 million through 1,824 purchase orders and commercial agreements -- more than quadrupling the $116 million figure reported at SOF Week 2023, said Leslie Babich, director of SOFWERX, during a session at SOF Week 2026.
The organization has also more than doubled its event count, from 278 to 389, and the number of technologies presented to users and tech stakeholders through its Tech Tuesday virtual pitch forum has grown from 527 to 1,133. Government personnel in the ecosystem have increased from 835 to 1,233, while total ecosystem membership -- companies, academics, labs, and non-traditional developers -- now exceeds 101,000.
Babich also highlighted results from the SOFWERX Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pilot Program, established under Section 852 of the FY22 National Defense Authorization Act, which allows USSOCOM to route up to 10% of its SBIR dollars through SOFWERX for faster execution. Phase I contract time has dropped from 102 days under the traditional program to 36 days -- a 3x improvement -- while Phase II contract time fell from 105 days to 28 days, a 4x improvement. The transition rate from Phase I/II to Phase III climbed from 26% to 46%.
"You don't have to have a clearance, you don't have to have a CAGE code," Babich said. "You could be somebody in your garage developing a capability."
SOFWERX structures its work around three lines of effort: Discover, which involves market research and technology scouting; Engage, which brings USSOCOM stakeholders face-to-face with solutions providers through collaboration and assessment events; and Accelerate, where commercial agreements are executed -- typically within two weeks of selection, and no more than 30 days.
Babich encouraged more companies to get involved and try to find opportunities within SOFWERX.
"It doesn't cost anything to participate," she said. "It's really just sign up, and what that enables is us to do is send you an email to your inbox every time we have an operational challenge."
