At first glance there may be no apparent connection between a revolutionary expeditionary lighting system and a cybersecurity solution that protects networks, machines, and sensitive data during a digital manufacturing process. The connection is that both, as well as other innovative technologies, are being developed by a little-known company from North Carolina, AURA Technologies, LLC—a company that defies easy categorization.
Driven by the vision of “creating a future where our technology provides real solutions for health, safety, security, and national defense,” AURA transcends the profile of a traditional military contractor. With a current focus on Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing solutions and a robust portfolio of issued patents and patents pending spanning artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, aerospace, and even COVID-19 solutions, the company is a powerhouse of R&D.
Guided by the mission “to research, develop, and commercialize innovative and ethical technologies in collaboration with the world’s best talent,” AURA’s success is a testament to the power of human ingenuity. At the heart of Aura’s success lies a team of passionate innovators, driven by a shared vision of a brighter future.
Back in 2015, AURA Technologies was founded by husband-and-wife team Douglas and Anna Bennett, who serve as co-CEOs. Securing contracts and pursuing regular operations by 2017, AURA now has offices in North Carolina and South Carolina, and will soon expand into a new office space in Research Triangle Park.
Prior to co-founding AURA, Anna’s distinguished career spanned the commercial sector, where she led transformative initiatives as a former executive at global biopharma companies such as GSK and IQVIA. Douglas brought considerable government experience in advanced technology and defense, including leading R&D initiatives at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), as well as developing public policy at the National Academy of Science. This unique blend of expertise has been instrumental in driving AURA’s success.
In addition to the founders, AURA boasts a team of brilliant innovators. “We have a lot of people with PhDs and advanced degrees in computer science and data science,” says William Harvey, Executive Vice President, Software Programs at AURA. “That is our aim—to have a team of very talented, highly intelligent staff.” The growing team of about 50 employees and contractors comprises engineers, scientists, software developers, data scientists, and other specialists.
“As a company, we are strategically diversified,” says Anna Bennett, co-founder and co-CEO. “Our business model is to use our brilliant human capital and collaborate with other organizations to develop software and hardware solutions. Those solutions are diverse, which keeps our team of innovators fully engaged using their wide range of skills.”
The company’s commercial products division sells technology solutions such as TrustedDM™, a patented cyber-physical security device, SemperLUX™, a military-grade flexible lighting solution, and Ion Bar™, a new product category in Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). “We have strategic diversity,” Harvey reiterates, “and we create technology that ensures our solutions are providing value. We don’t just provide a piece of software; we provide a piece of hardware that solves a problem, the software that runs the hardware, and the software that interfaces with that system.”
AURA has always engaged in what are called Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) projects. “SBIR is when you have a small business or company like AURA, and that company creates a response to a government proposal and is able to work on that independently, using intellectual property within the organization,” Harvey explains.
One of the unique differentiators of the company is the ability to work with different universities, which has proven advantageous. “When they have applicable departments or specialists, we can access those resources, have those specialists work together with our organization, and do combination research projects,” says Harvey. “So even though we are a relatively small DoD contractor, we have the ability to perform STTR projects because we are able to draw from the technology and knowledge provided from the institutions that we partner with.”
The company’s clients span diverse industries, including U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense (DoD), commercial customers, and healthcare solutions providers. Due to the sensitive nature of its government work, AURA cannot discuss details of projects or reveal external information, but publicly available projects include an Advanced Soldier Electronic Device Management System, a Scalable Ultra-Short Pulse Laser System, and Intelligent Aircraft Electrical LMC. These works, and others, were carried out for the DoD.
AURA has seen success as a rapidly growing company, including being listed on the Inc. 5000 three years in a row. While the company takes pride in its success, the AURA team believes in giving back to the community. “Charitable efforts are part of what we do,” says Harvey. “We have participated in food banks and disaster relief activities. There are days where we devote our time volunteering as a team, and this is a welcome opportunity to focus on important issues outside of work and give back.”
On its 10th anniversary, AURA is in the process of moving its headquarters into a larger space located in the heart of the Research Triangle Park in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“It is our objective to innovate solutions to optimize the digital pipeline for efficiency and security,” says Harvey. “Our customer is the DoD, but our end user is the war fighter, members of the uniformed branch services, as well as the commercial sector. So, we are focused on solutions that are a value-add for the government and for our end users,” he says.
“We operate in a highly constrained, regulated environment in government acquisition and government projects, and we do that comfortably. Oftentimes we see users are given tech that doesn’t work well because it is considered a lowest-price acceptable technology solution. We provide solutions that both meet the requirements of the DoD acquisition process and are also critical as well as valuable to the war fighter and beyond.”
