Confidencial Awarded AFWERX STTR Phase II Contract to Help the US Air Force Enhance Data Security of Sensitive National Defense Documents

Confidencial collaborates with SRI to fortify the Department of the Air Force cybersecurity with AI-powered encryption technology, strengthening the protection of sensitive information from within and enabling safe collaboration.

MENLO PARK, Calif., May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Confidencial Inc. (the "Company") has been awarded a $1.8 million STTR Phase II contract from AFWERX to enhance the Air Force's collaboration tools with advanced unstructured data protection. The Company's selective encryption technology will increase productivity and enable better collaboration while fortifying the protection of documents shared with partners, allied countries, and contractors worldwide. Supporting diverse document formats and multi-cloud environments, Confidencial will integrate sensitive data scanning, document sharing, and electronic signature capabilities into the deployment. The Phase II effort will culminate in a functioning prototype system, positioning the Company for eventual production deployment. Confidencial will also begin the FedRAMP authorization process, allowing the Company to deploy its data protection solution into DoD and civilian agencies and accelerate commercialization in the public sector.

The Air Force Research Laboratory and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through faster proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now Confidencial will start its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.

"The United States Air Force is among the most sophisticated cybersecurity organizations in the world. Partnering with the Air Force on this important initiative to protect unstructured data is a tremendous honor and endorsement of our technology," said Stewart Walchli, CEO of Confidencial. "This partnership will further strengthen our technology and capabilities, helping to ensure that our solution continues to be at the forefront of protecting unstructured data for government and commercial organizations alike."

"The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government."

About Confidencial
Confidencial is the first data-blind protection platform for high-stakes industries that automatically protects sensitive unstructured content within documents, enabling secure sharing, collaborating, signing, and utilization in the AI era. Confidencial's underlying patented technology was developed by SRI for DARPA, used across 170+ organizations in 34 countries, and awarded the Cyber Solution of the Year for 2023 by PwC Luxembourg. For more information, visit confidencial.io.

About AFWERX
As the innovation arm of the DAF and a directorate within the Air Force Research Laboratory, AFWERX brings cutting-edge American ingenuity from small businesses and start-ups to address the most pressing challenges of the DAF. AFWERX employs approximately 370 military, civilian and contractor personnel at five hubs and sites executing an annual $1.4 billion budget. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed 6,028 new contracts worth more than $4 billion to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and drive faster technology transition to operational capability. For more information, visit: www.afwerx.com. 

SOURCE Confidencial Inc