By Eleanor Kent & Emily White, Army FUZE
PHOENIX\, Ariz. ‒ Concluding a week of finalist pitches and collaborative discussions\, Army FUZE has officially announced the winners of the xTech|Phantum Finals Event. Held July 21-24\, 2026\, at the Southwest Mission Acceleration Center (SWMAC)\, the event\, conducted in partnership with the Army Directorate for strategy & Transformation (DAMI-ST) brought together the nation’s top small businesses to showcase breakthrough quantum and photonics solutions aimed at strengthening national security.
The event kicked off with opening remarks from Dr. Matt Willis, Director of Army FUZE, who underscored the importance of engaging commercial innovation early to inform future Army modernization efforts. His remarks were followed by a recorded message from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, reflecting the growing convergence of national defense priorities and the city’s recently launched Phoenix Quantum Strategy, which aims to position the region as a hub for quantum technology.
The competition directly supports the priorities outlined in Executive Order (EO) 14413, “Ushering in The Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation,” by accelerating the development of critical quantum technologies.
Fostering Collaboration, Education, and Investment Beyond the technology pitches, SWMAC hosted a series of strategic panels throughout the event designed to bridge the gap between commercial innovators and the Department of War (DoW).
A major highlight was the"Reverse Pitch" panel, where traditional roles were flipped. Competition finalists had the opportunity to ask Army leadership direct questions about acquisition pathways, navigating defense bureaucracy, and best practices for successfully partnering with the military.
Additionally, the event featured aPrivate Capital panel, which explored pathways for commercialization and venture investment in dual-use technologies. Moderated by Darian Harris, Partner at Connected Capital, the panel featured insights from Dr. Matt Willis; Kyle MacDonald, COO of Silicon Oasis; and Todd Yarter, Private Equity Investor at Blue Marlin Partners.
To further connect the competitors with state-of-the-art regional infrastructure, participants were afforded the opportunity to visit the Arizona State University-ledhttps://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fmicroelectronics.asu.edu%2Fsouthwest-advanced-prototyping-hub%2Ffor a presentation by its staff and a tour of their facility. This experience offered finalists firsthand insight into the regional ecosystem driving microelectronics and hardware prototyping capabilities critical to advancing quantum technologies.
xTech|Phantum Final Winners Selected from a highly competitive pool of 16 finalists, eight winning companies were awarded a portion of the $200,000 in cash prizes. These winners now have the exclusive opportunity to submit a Phase I Army Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal valued at up to $300,000 each, creating a direct pathway for continued technology maturation.
The winners\, recognized across xTech|Phantum's four priority technology areas\, are:
Mesa Quantum Systems - Chip-Scale Kerr-Enhanced Nonlinear Optical Gyroscope for GPS-Denied Navigation
TECHNERGETICS LLC - Quantum Magnetometer for Advanced Gyromagnetic Integrated Compact-Sensing (Q-MAGIC)
Lunewave Inc. - The Next-Generation Quantum-Aperture: Breaking Physical and Digital Ceilings for Universal Tactical Overmatch
Rhea Space Activity - D-URSULA: Diamond Underwater Resonance Sensing for Unknown Location Acquisitions
8Seven8 - Atomic Beam Clocks for GPS Denied Environments
LinQ Photonics - Turbulence-Compensated Coherent Photonic Terminal for EW-Resilient Army Free-Space Optical Communications
Brightlight Photonics – The ABC on a Chip: On-Chip High-Pulse-Energy Comb Core for Deployable Quantum Clocks
Polaris Semiconductor - Uncooled InGaAsSb Photodiodes for Covert High-Bandwidth Free-Space Optical Communications at 2.2–2.5 μm
Army FUZE applauds all the finalists and winners for their groundbreaking work. We look forward to continuing our partnership with these leading innovators as they refine their technologies for future Army applications.
About the Army FUZE xTech Program The Army FUZE xTech Program is the Army’s premier tool for scouting and accelerating dual-use technologies that directly enhance Soldier readiness and mission success. Through dynamic prize competitions like xTech|Search\, xTech identifies breakthrough solutions and opens doors for non-traditional companies to engage with and deliver capabilities to the Army. Since its launch in 2018\, xTech has awarded over $30 million in non-dilutive cash prizes across 50+ competitions – fueling innovation pipelines and delivering transformative technologies that matter on the battlefield.
About Army FUZE Army FUZE is the engine driving innovation within the Army’s integrated innovation ecosystem, strategically aligned under the Army's Pathway for Innovation and Technology (PIT). By uniting key programs such as xTech, Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer, Manufacturing Technology, and the Technology Maturation Initiative within a synchronized framework, FUZE accelerates advanced capabilities, strengthens the industrial base, and delivers readiness at the speed of relevance. Operating with a venture capitalist mindset, FUZE scouts broadly, takes calculated risks, and scales the most promising technologies, ensuring taxpayer dollars are directed toward solutions with both Army operational relevance and commercial viability. Through its alignment with PIT, FUZE underscores the Army's commitment to fostering innovation, streamlining technology transitions, and bridging the gap between emerging technologies and critical operational needs to maintain military overmatch.
About SWMAC The https://swmac.org/ brings together academic institutions, the venture community, and non-traditional technology companies to help solve the nation’s most pressing national security challenges. Through mission validation, technology maturation, and collaboration support, SWMAC works with the defense innovation community to identify and evaluate emerging technology needs and support the rapid maturation of these technologies for scaled delivery to the warfighter.