Military Might
By
David Worrell
Military uniforms may not be all that fashionable, but for Laura
McCann, the Department of Defense is a very fashionable financier.
McCann, 42, founded software company Zweave to manage and
streamline apparel design and manufacturing. To get the business
off the ground, she applied for and won a Small Business Innovation
Research grant from the U.S. Navy. Now, five years later, SBIR
grants make up about half of Zweave's revenue, which is
expected to hit $5 million this year. The grants come primarily
from the Army and Navy, but also from more obscure federal
offices.
McCann scouts the Department of Defense for
opportunities--networking, asking for referrals and cold calling.
"The [Department of Defense] spends $2.5 billion on uniforms
every year," says McCann. "[It] needs the same solutions
as the commercial industry. Because of SBIR [grants], we were there
first to build a product specifically to [meet its]
needs."