Forge Institute Awarded U.S. Department of Energy Funding to Launch the Secure Energy Defenders Program, a $2M program to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Arkansas Rural and Municipal Electric Utilities
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Forge Institute Awarded U.S. Department of Energy Funding to Launch the Secure Energy Defenders Program, a $2M program to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Arkansas Rural and Municipal Electric Utilities

Foreign adversaries are increasingly targeting the power grids, water systems, and local infrastructure communities rely on every day — not through traditional military means, but through cyberattacks aimed at systems that are often under-resourced and locally run. These threats are accelerating: artificial intelligence is lowering the barrier to entry for attackers, automating reconnaissance, and enabling more convincing social engineering at a scale and speed utilities have never had to defend against before. Rural and municipal electric utilities, which power much of Arkansas, are exactly this kind of target: critical to daily life, and rarely equipped with the same cybersecurity resources as major metropolitan utilities.

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2026 Forge Summit Unveils High-Profile Speaker Roster; Final Call for Registrations and Sponsorships
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2026 Forge Summit Unveils High-Profile Speaker Roster; Final Call for Registrations and Sponsorships

The Forge Institute has announced an expanded lineup of prominent federal, defense, and industry leaders scheduled to speak at the 2026 Forge Summit. With registration now open, the summit serves as the premier gathering for intelligence, cybersecurity, and technology leaders in America’s heartland working to secure national defense, critical infrastructure, and regional economic resilience.

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Gregory Crabb, former CISO of USPS & Beth-Anne Bygum, CISO of Q2, one of America’s leading FinTechs, to discuss Cyber Survivability
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Gregory Crabb, former CISO of USPS & Beth-Anne Bygum, CISO of Q2, one of America’s leading FinTechs, to discuss Cyber Survivability

Summit to convene local and national stakeholders in Little Rock, Arkansas, September 17-19th for national event.  Forge Institute today announced the initial speaker and sponsor lineup for the 7th Annual Forge Summit. Taking place September 17-19 in Little Rock, the summit will convene top experts from the front lines of corporate and national security to provide actionable strategies for defending America's critical industries and opportunities to securely leverage emergent technologies to advance critical technology capabilities for national security. 

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Forge Institute Spotlights Arkansas's Future Aerospace & Defense Leaders at Phoenix Xcelerator Demo Day on May 29
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Forge Institute Spotlights Arkansas's Future Aerospace & Defense Leaders at Phoenix Xcelerator Demo Day on May 29

Forge Institute invites the community to experience the next wave of aerospace and defense innovation at the highly anticipated Phoenix Xcelerator Demo Day. This premier event, taking place on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM at the Clinton Presidential Center, marks the culmination of an intensive 12-week accelerator program featuring a cohort of promising startups from Arkansas and across the country, poised to impact national security and boost Arkansas’s economy.

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Phoenix Xcelerator Announces 2025 Cohort, Innovative Defense Solutions
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Phoenix Xcelerator Announces 2025 Cohort, Innovative Defense Solutions

The Forge Institute is proud to announce the startups selected for the highly competitive Phoenix Xcelerator program. After an extensive review of applicants from across the nation, these early-stage innovators have been chosen for their cutting-edge solutions and potential to disrupt their categories. 

The Phoenix Xcelerator is a no-cost, no-equity accelerator designed to fast-track promising startups tackling aerospace and defense challenges.

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