[mtberatwork]

> Contracting officers and large contractors are desperate to team up with start-ups

I don't think I have heard that sentiment before. Do you have a source for this? Sub-contractors are a dime-a-dozen around DC from what I see.

> use government contracts as a no-strings-attached method of raising cash

There are plenty of "strings attached" when it comes to government contracting. Far, far more than what you find in the private sector.

[USNetizen]

But the outcome is far greater than anything in the private sector. We could never have grown by 20 people in less than a year without external funding in any other market.

I think you just need to get out and attend some events, talk to people, get to know them - don't view them just as a customer. Listen to their problems and, above all, have a solid value proposition and you'll see things differently.

Not all statements have a source, these are first-person experience from a person who runs a successful government-oriented startup. Just because it requires more work than you're used to doesn't mean it's untrue or an impenetrable market. People thinking it's too much work is what is keeping it a market of "insiders" because no-one else wants to give it a shot.

[USNetizen]

At a recent event, Ms. Laverne Council, the CIO for the VA who oversees a $4.1B IT budget, actually talked about how a two-person company in San Francisco was able to get her attention. They focused on solving a problem the VA was having, not just their offerings. She flew out to meet them personally and it became one of the most successful tech rollouts in the agency history.

All it takes is a little hard work. Opportunities exist in abundance if you can see through all the stereotypes people throw out there. It's too bad people just give up so easily and that often lets their less-than-worthy competitors reap all the rewards. Don't give up. That's all you have to do.