Welcome back to GovCon Unscripted! In this episode, Chelsea sits down with Art Trevethan, a serial entrepreneur, former Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Army Futures Command, and advisor to companies navigating the federal marketplace.

From early entrepreneurial ventures to advising venture groups and law firms, Art brings candid insights on why acquisition feels broken, how to work with the system instead of against it, and the hidden lessons he carried from Army Applications Lab.

On this episode, we discuss:

-Why acquisition frustrations are systemic, not personal

-Creativity in getting emerging tech like drones into the system

-Why SBIRs can become a trap if companies never graduate from them

- The difference between being a vendor vs. being a true problem-solver

Timestamps:

[00:00 ] - Chelsea introduces Art and his entrepreneurial journey

[00:06:00 ] - How acquisition was built for “bombs, bullets, boots, and beans” — not modern tools

[00:10:00 ] - Creative contracting workarounds: drones classified as “targets”

[00:16:00 ] - Vendors vs. advisors: problem-solving over promises

[00:20:00 ] - Why no consultant should ever guarantee you a contract in 3 months

[00:23:00 ] - Educating clients on breaking free from the SBIR hamster wheel

[00:28:00 ] - The danger of focusing only on research without reaching real users

[00:31:00 ] - Why the user isn’t the buyer in DOD acquisitions

[00:33:00 ] - Advice for transitioning service members and federal professionals

[00:36:00 ] - How to connect with Art and his advisory work

Links and Resources:

• Chelsea’s LinkedIn Profile

• Art Trevethan’s LinkedIn Profile

• Art’s Website