Dcode42 holds spring Power Week for contract-seeking startups

Dcode42, the downtown D.C.-based accelerator that seeks to help startups get federal contracts, is holding its first-ever Power Week. In line with the accelerator’s main mission, Power Week will be a weeklong series of events aimed at convening Dcode42’s current cohort with federal decision makers and other players in the field.
Dcode42 CEO Meagan Metzger told Technical.ly the week of May 16 will be all about creating connections.
Indeed, connections are a key part of what startups looking for federal contracts need and an organization like Dcode42 can provide. The federal government wants new tech, perhaps now more than ever, but there is a disconnect between the startups creating that tech and the sometimes-arduous (and lengthy) federal acquisition process. This is the communication and access gap Dcode42 aims to fill, through its accelerator program and initiatives like Power Week.
During the week, the accelerator’s current cohort of seven companies will meet with the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. They’ll demo for Deloitte and General Dynamics Information Technology. It’ll be a busy week for all involved.
This current cohort is Dcode42’s second since its launch in March 2015, and, according to the website, there will be a call for applications for the third cohort within the next month. Metzger said Power Week is the first series of events Dcode42 has held “of this magnitude,” but from here on out the accelerator “plans to do it with each of our cohorts.”