Seven microelectronics firms have received almost $10 million in combined funding to commercialize technologies of interest to the U.S. military as winners of the Defense Business Accelerator (DBX) Microelectronics Challenge. The Department of Defense (DOD)-funded initiative is led by the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE). After evaluation of 279 submissions received via an open solicitation, 25 finalists pitched their ideas at the Defense TechConnect Innovation Summit on Nov. 28. A panel of industry experts, investors, and a DOD representative judged the presentations, selecting the following seven challenge winners for a combined $9.6 million in funding: Freedom Photonics LLC ($1,500,000), Momentum Optics ($1,675,000), Mosaic Microsystems ($1,000,000), SiliconCore Technology Inc. ($1,675,000), PseudolithIC Inc. ($1,000,000), Gigantor Technologies ($2,000,000), and Soctera Inc. ($750,000). In addition to funding, the companies will receive commercialization support through an ongoing accelerator program that includes one-on-one coaching, access to resources, and more. The accelerator’s goal is to mature the technology and to scale the domestic business to fill critical gaps within the microelectronics supply chain.