MTO Pitch Day

DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) will host an invitation-only, in-person Pitch Day on July 25, 2025. It will be held in conjunction with MTO Spark Tank in Aurora, Colo.

MTO Pitch Day is an opportunity for selected participants to pitch revolutionary concepts directly to MTO program managers for potential funding of up to $400,000 for short-term exploratory efforts. Awardees will be announced the same day that they are pitched.

This initiative aims to fast-track transformative ideas that could evolve into future DARPA programs. MTO is looking for revolutionary – not evolutionary – research ideas that align with the following technical areas of interest:

• Unconventional Computing: Exploring new paradigms beyond traditional digital computing, with the potential to improve speed, energy efficiency, and processing capabilities
• Biologically Inspired Microsystems: Developing electronic microsystems that integrate biomolecules and leverage biological principles for superior sensing and computation capabilities
• Commercially Catalyzed Defense Deployment: Leveraging commercial-scale technologies to enhance national security and create a self-sustaining ecosystem for accelerating defense-specific microsystem deployment.

How to participate

To be considered for MTO Pitch Day, interested organizations must submit an abstract consisting of a technical description of their idea in response to one of the areas noted above. Abstracts must be submitted by April 23, 2025, at noon ET. 

If an abstract is selected for participation, DARPA will notify the proposer by email with an invitation to present at Pitch Day.

Further details about the abstract submission process are available in the event solicitation on SAM.gov. Please reach out to MTO Pitch Day with any questions by April 16, 2025, at 4 p.m. ET.

MTO Spark Tank

Because MTO Pitch Day is occurring in conjunction with MTO Spark Tank, those proposers invited to pitch their idea have the option of attending the event. MTO Spark Tank will include overview presentations by DARPA personnel, including MTO Program Managers, and an opportunity for 1:1 engagement with MTO Program Managers and MTO Leadership via sidebar meetings. Advance registration is required.

Note: MTO Spark Tank and Pitch Day will be held at the Unclassified level.