CISA vs DARPA: Cyber Pathway Reroute
Anonymized pursuit: an OT security vendor initially pursued CISA grants despite a research-heavy AI assurance story better suited to DARPA I2O.
Challenge
The team had a single product narrative but mixed operational deployment claims with immature research milestones—creating confusion on which federal door to pursue.
Approach
- Mapped product maturity against CISA operational grant criteria vs DARPA I2O research expectations
- Rebuilt technical core around AI assurance research risk with measurable transition hooks
- Framed CISA partnership language for a later phase once operator metrics existed
Outcome
Redirected active pursuit to DARPA I2O for R&D credibility. CISA pathway preserved as a documented transition option—not a parallel rewrite.