The greater Washington region has more software engineers than anywhere else in the country. Because some want to start their own companies but don’t know where to start, Drew Cohen launched MasterPeace Launchpad, a government contracting cybersecurity firm, to help them apply their skills to starting their own businesses.

It’s a technology accelerator specifically designed to enable engineers to “build their own companies, and to start them and move into the commercial, primarily cyber arena, but other technology arena,” Cohen told What’s Working in Washington.

Since the incremental cost of a software product is effectively nothing, product-driven cyber businesses are extremely scalable, Cohen said. “It’s not accidental that the largest businesses we have today are technology product businesses,” he said.

What MasterPeace Launchpad looks for in ideas is extreme scalability. “That’s what investors are looking for,” Cohen said.

The difference between Launchpad and other accelerators is that the companies it funds are being spun out of an existing government contractor, MasterPeace Solutions. While other accelerators “start with investment dollars and [look] for entrepreneurs to get behind,” Cohen said, Launchpad is more of a “pre-startup accelerator.”

Masterpeace starts with the talent, and works to foster their ideas and skills to start their own companies.

“Teaching engineers what it is to be businesspeople — that’s where I spend my time,” said Cohen. A lot of this teaching comes in the form of round-tables and storytelling panels with successful area entrepreneurs. “I don’t tell anyone ‘no’ to any of the ideas that they want to start. What I do say is, ‘Okay, if you want to do that, here’s where it needs to get to’.”

Although MasterPeace has a research and development budget, software engineers are more often encouraged to work on projects on their spare time, so that Cohen can tell them: “When you hit this milestone, I’ll give you a cash bonus.” The model draws significant inspiration from Silicon Valley startups like Google.

Now that access to infrastructure and servers is inexpensive and simple, “the barriers to a business are going away. It’s about the idea, the commitment, and building something that, frankly, customers want,” said Cohen.

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