Hard Tech Week showcased Utah's expanding hard-tech capabilities, highlighting how local expertise in aerospace and advanced materials is being applied to diverse industries. The event featured companies working in sectors such as defense, robotics, and energy, while also fostering new industry collaborations.
A notable collaboration emerged during the event between 47G, USA Bobsled/Skeleton, Albany Engineered Composites, Hexcel, and Nammo Composite Solutions. This partnership aims to apply Utah's aerospace and composites manufacturing expertise to develop next-generation sleds for the USA Bobsled/Skeleton team. Other featured companies included Fortem Technologies, Moog, Karman Space & Defense, and Lion Energy. The week's activities included a hackathon to address industry problems, supported by Nucleus and GOED’s Startup State initiative led by Tyler Jennings, alongside an energy-and-AI challenge sponsored by Torus.
In the space sector, Utah Tech University students have begun testing a 3U CubeSat designed for a potential water-resource mission. The satellite's proposed mission involves using a thermal-infrared camera to map surface temperatures across Utah at a resolution of roughly 65–75 meters. The team intends to apply to NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative in 2028, with a possible launch in 2029 if selected.
The energy sector saw both new programs and regulatory developments. Utah Renewable Communities and Rocky Mountain Power plan to launch the Community Clean Energy Program in January 2027, which will automatically enroll customers in 16 participating communities. Meanwhile, the Utah Public Service Commission opened a rulemaking step on October 29 to allow for proposed amendments to the state’s electrical interconnection rule. Torus has filed comments supporting a process that accounts for energy storage.
Significant private equity activity occurred in the healthcare software sector, as Francisco Partners completed an all-cash acquisition of Lehi-based Weave on October 26. The transaction was valued at approximately $650 million. Additionally, Merit Medical announced the acquisition of South Jordan-based Solo Pace on October 29, which closed on October 13 for approximately $45 million.
Upcoming events in Utah include the Utah AI Moonshot award notifications scheduled for Nov. 30. Other upcoming gatherings include the Utah Quantum Summit on Dec. 7 and the Utah AI Summit on Dec. 8 in Salt Lake City.
