About Maven Scouts
Rooted in Louisiana.
Working across the Gulf South and Southeastern United States.
Who We Are
Turning ideas into businesses.
Maven Scouts is a service-disabled veteran-owned commercialization and small business support firm headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. We help entrepreneurs, startups, and growing companies turn ideas and technologies into businesses by connecting them with the knowledge, relationships, and resources needed to move forward.
Through our MavenWERX accelerator, one-on-one technical assistance, workshops, pitch competitions, and industry events, we help founders understand their customers, strengthen their business models, prepare for capital, and pursue new markets.
Our work spans dual-use technologies—solutions with both commercial and defense applications—as well as energy, advanced manufacturing, national security, and critical infrastructure. We also support small businesses developing the capabilities they need to compete, grow, and participate in larger industry supply chains.
We connect founders with universities, research institutions, industry leaders, investors, and government partners across the region and beyond. From evaluating a technology's commercial potential to preparing for customer introductions and funding opportunities, we focus on practical steps that move companies toward execution.
Our mission is to build stronger companies, expand economic opportunity across the Gulf South and Southeast, and strengthen America's industrial base.
MavenWERX
Accelerator
Our accelerator helps founders understand customers, strengthen business models, and prepare for capital.
Support
Technical assistance & workshops
One-on-one technical assistance, workshops, pitch competitions, and industry events.
Sectors
Where we work
Dual-use technology, energy, advanced manufacturing, national security, and critical infrastructure.
Network
Who we connect
Universities, research institutions, industry leaders, investors, and government partners across the region and beyond.
Mission
Why we do it
Build stronger companies, expand economic opportunity across the Gulf South and Southeast, and strengthen America's industrial base.
Our Mission
Bold
We take on hard problems and move decisively to put capability in the hands of those who need it.
Vigilant
We watch the market, the threat, and the mission closely — so our partners are never caught off guard.
Innovative
We bridge commercial ingenuity and defense requirements with new ways to network, build, and deploy.
Core Capabilities
Business Development Recon
We create and qualify leads, innovate the way we network, and target strategic partnerships that result in new and sustained business — seeking out new strategies, targets, companies, and prospects that deliver long-term value.
- Lead generation & qualification
- Strategic partner targeting
- Capture strategy & positioning
OSINT Market Intelligence
Market assessments verified across multiple sources. Using open-source intelligence — social monitoring, conference presence, and direct networking with government and industry — we sit in the channels that reveal what customers actually need.
- Open-source intelligence monitoring
- Government & industry networks
- Multi-source verified analysis
Rapid Prototyping & Deployment
Proprietary, military, and industry-standard processes to evaluate, plan, develop, test, and rapidly deploy the capabilities our clients need in the field.
- Requirements to prototype
- Test & evaluation
- Accelerated R&D transition
25+
Louisiana small businesses supported since 2018
$40M+
Competitive federal R&D funding
$30M+
Private & corporate investment
100+
Net-new jobs, ~$83K avg. wage
Leadership
Founder / CEO
Grant Rogers
Leads Maven Scouts' vision and strategy, connecting emerging technology with the operators and partners who need it.
Chief of Operations
Dennis M. “Z” Zanoni
22-year Air Force veteran bringing deep insight into SBIR programs, nontraditional government acquisition, product fit, and scaling.
VP, Business Development
Tom Barnett
Builds strategic relationships across government and industry to open new pathways for dual-use technology.
Director of Venture Operations & Performance
Renee Watkins
Leads venture operations, contract performance, and reporting that keep Maven Scouts programs accountable and on track.
Director of Business Development
John “PK” Kelley
U.S. Army Special Operations veteran (2nd Ranger Battalion) advancing sensing, surveillance, and resilient communications for contested environments.
Director, Engineering & Prototyping
Brian Westgate
Oversees rapid prototyping and engineering teams delivering deployable solutions on accelerated timelines.