As a newfound digital government consultancy, we’re not naive about the difficulties of competing for federal contracts. It’s tough business, which is why you must admire and respect any company whose grown to a significant size (such as 80 people) in this space. While there’s much we do know, there’s even more we need to learn. What better way to close that knowledge gap than to learn from an established company with a proven track record of federal contracting success?

That’s why we’re actively seeking to establish formal mentor-protégé relationships with other companies, where such a relationship would be mutually beneficial to both parties, naturally.

There are a number of agency-specific mentor-protégé programs such as the Department of Homeland Security’s and the Department of Defense’s. For mentors, these programs offer a number of benefits to encourage you to take a protégé, such as Skylight, under your wing. There’s also the new All Small Mentor-Protégé Program from the Small Business Administration. Through this program, a mentor, which can be of any size, can enter into joint-venture partnership (JVP) with us, with an equity stake of up to 40%. One of the advantages of operating as a JVP under this program is that we can leverage our respective capabilities, past performance experience, and socioeconomic status as one entity.

So why take us on as a protégé? Here’s some of what we offer in return:

  • A strong team of digital experts who can execute on government’s tough digital challenges
  • A proven track record of building first-rate digital products (such as TalkTo) and leading high-caliber digital teams (such as 18F Consulting)
  • Unique first-hand experience working with multiple agencies on their digital transformation initiatives, particularly the Department of Homeland Security
  • A solid understanding of the government’s digital landscape, including trends and technologies
  • Excellent relationships both within and outside of government
  • Past experience winning federal contract work
  • A certified HUBZone status, which can be great for small business set-aside contracts

If you’re interested in exploring a mentor-protégé relationship, please reach out to Chris Cairns at [email protected].