Fayetteville, N.C. (Oct. 30, 2007) - The Defense and Security Technology Accelerator (DSTA), a thought leader in business acceleration that assists entrepreneurs with the rapid development of dual-use defense and security technology solutions, announced today that two of their client companies, Anakam, Inc. and Saffron Technology, received contracts.

The contract is the first awarded to DSTA client companies. The DSTA framework was developed to bring together and leverage in a collaborative manner the capabilities of rapidly growing technology companies to deliver solutions that benefit the end customer and support economic expansion in North Carolina. The contract will enable Anakam and Saffron Technology to deliver key security and analysis capabilities to their clients. “Anakam is exited about the opportunities that stem from the collaborative effort with DSTA,” stated Brent Williams, Anakam’s CTO, “DSTA’s leadership facilitated the process, from its inception, of bringing companies together to deliver a compelling business solutions for our clients.”

Over the past year, DSTA has accepted 12 client companies into their program, four of which were recruited from out-of-state.  In this short period, these companies have created over 70 jobs and are continuing to bring high-value business to the North Carolina community while training a new high technology workforce. Along with job creation, DSTA’s client companies are also contributing over $9M in revenues to the state’s economy.  Gayle Sheppard, Saffron Technology’s Chief Executive stated, “DTSA is directly responsible for helping our business growth, bringing more high technology work to North Carolina, and building a cooperative relationship between member companies that will directly benefit the war fighter.”

DSTA client companies range from small technology vendors to specialized service providers that focus on delivering innovative and specialized solutions to solve the challenges facing the defense and security marketplace.  DSTA provides a variety of services for member companies and affiliates including facilities, product development, strategic planning, business development, collaboration, and recruiting.  DSTA requires that member companies commit to supporting the North Carolina economic development efforts and enhancement of the regional technical workforce.