Original Broadcast Date: 05/31/2026
Presented by Maximus
SOFWERX is rapidly expanding its role as Special Operations Command’s innovation gateway, and Director Leslie Babich says the organization’s success comes from making it easier for nontraditional companies to work with the government.
Speaking at SOF Week 2026, Babich explains that SOFWERX operates as a nonprofit organization under a partnership intermediary agreement with SOCOM. Its mission is to connect commercial innovators, startups, and emerging technology companies with special operations stakeholders while reducing many of the obstacles that often discourage companies from entering the defense market.
“What we try and do is lower the barrier of entry for companies to engage with SOCOM,” Babich says.
One of the biggest advantages, she explains, is the organization’s off-base facility. By hosting engagements outside a traditional military installation, SOFWERX removes some of the complexity that first-time vendors often encounter when trying to work with the Department of Defense.
“A lot of folks are not familiar with the process to get access onto a military base,” Babich says.
She notes that security procedures, badging requirements, and access to classified environments can become immediate deterrents for companies unfamiliar with government operations. SOFWERX instead creates a commercial-style environment designed to encourage more open collaboration and easier interaction with military stakeholders.
“We allow engagement to occur off base in a very friendly commercial facility,” Babich says.
The organization also works to create a less intimidating atmosphere for companies meeting with military personnel for the first time. Babich says SOFWERX often encourages government representatives not to wear uniforms during engagements to help create a more approachable and collaborative setting.
Beyond the physical environment, SOFWERX also maintains a rapidly growing innovation ecosystem that now includes more than 100,000
“Many of the companies that we’re trying to work with have mostly worked in the commercial space,” Babich says.
She explains that many startups do not yet have cage codes or the infrastructure typically required for traditional government contracting. SOFWERX helps bridge that gap by providing a more flexible pathway for early engagement.
A major part of that flexibility comes through the organization’s ability to award commercial agreements instead of standard government contracts. Babich says that approach reduces risk for both industry and SOCOM by allowing technologies to be evaluated earlier, faster, and at lower cost.
“This allows them to dip their toe in the water,” Babich says.
For startups, that means they can explore whether SOCOM is the right customer before making major investments in government-specific business processes. For SOCOM, the process accelerates technology evaluation and prototype development while minimizing financial risk.
Babich says SOFWERX’s success also reflects SOCOM’s broader organizational culture, which encourages experimentation and creative problem solving.
“The culture is let’s figure out how to get stuff done,” Babich says.
She notes that many of the authorities needed to accelerate innovation already exist across government. The difference, she says, is whether organizations are willing to interpret those authorities creatively and accept a certain level of calculated risk in pursuit of faster development.
“We’re really in the risk reduction space and the development area,” Babich says.
That development-focused approach has helped SOFWERX expand rapidly. The organization recently announced that it has now facilitated more than $500 million in contracts, more than quadrupling its activity over the last three years.
At SOF Week, Babich says much of her time is spent helping companies better understand where they fit within the special operations community. For newer companies, that often means identifying the right stakeholder or operational mission area for their technology. For more established defense companies, conversations focus on differentiation and partnership opportunities.
“If you’re in the drone space, what is your differentiator?” Babich says.
She says SOFWERX also encourages companies to think carefully about their long-term goals, whether they want to remain focused on development, partner with larger integrators, or eventually grow into major defense contractors themselves.
Despite the organization’s rapid growth, Babich says several obstacles still slow innovation across government. Budget cycles, continuing resolutions, and pre-programmed funding structures often limit how quickly new technologies can move from concept to operational use.
“Budget flexibility is one of those things,” Babich says.
Still, she says successful companies learn how to operate within those constraints through persistence, patience, and close attention to customer needs.
“You can’t boil the ocean,” Babich says, repeating advice from SOFWERX’s chief technology officer.
Her own background in Air Force Special Operations Command also shapes how she approaches innovation. After more than 20 years in the special operations community, Babich says the focus remains on solving problems creatively while working within operational and regulatory constraints.
“Within those parameters, within those constraints, you get very creative at figuring out how to get stuff done,” Babich says.