Liftwave Inc.

Liftwave Inc., doing business as Rise Robotics, is a small disadvantaged business manufacturer based in Somerville, Massachusetts, that designs and develops advanced robotics, lightweight material handling equipment, and tactical vehicle integration systems for the Department of the Air Force and Department of the Army exclusively as a prime contractor under the Small Business Innovation Research program and emerging defense acquisition vehicles. The company competes entirely under Total Small Business set-asides on SBIR contracts and without set-aside designation on its recent Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) vehicle win.

Liftwave's capability portfolio centers on specialized military robotics and expeditionary equipment. Recent representative work includes a $2.99 million SBIR Phase II contract awarded February 2026 by Air Combat Command for jamming technology integration into tactical vehicle systems; a $1.7 million SBIR Phase II award from Air Force Research Laboratory for an autonomous munitions loader prototype; a $1.25 million SBIR Phase II contract from AFRL for an ultralight 10K forklift for overseas expeditionary operations; and a $1.25 million SBIR Phase II award from AFRL for MHU-174 modular housing unit modernization. The company also holds a $249.9 thousand SBIR Phase I contract with the Department of the Army for collapsible lightweight cranes supporting mobile sustainment operations. The vendor's prior work across multiple SBIR phases demonstrates progression from concept development through prototype maturation to production-oriented Phase III agreements, with cumulative emphasis on autonomous material handling, lift devices for battlefield logistics, and tactical equipment modernization.

Customer concentration is dominated by Air Force research and logistics commands. The Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory accounts for 5 awards valued at $5 million combined; the Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Lifecycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base accounts for 2 awards with $46 billion in combined potential value, anchored by the March 2025 EWAAC Fourth On-Ramp IDC award carrying a $46 billion ceiling across all awardees; and Air Combat Command holds 1 award worth $3 million. The Air Force and Army together represent 91% of recent awards by count and 100% of combined potential value. The concentration divergence—EWAAC dominates dollars while AFRL dominates award frequency—reflects Liftwave's transition from sustained SBIR delivery into broader defense acquisition vehicles.

Liftwave holds a position on the Eglin Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) as a multiple-award indefinite delivery contract awardee under the Fourth On-Ramp effective March 13, 2025, running through September 9, 2031. The vehicle, funded by AFLCMC Eglin, classifies under NAICS 332993 (Ammunition except Small Arms Manufacturing) but encompasses broader defense support deliverables. A single $1,000 initial task order was placed April 10, 2025. SBIR work historically dominates the vendor's prime footprint, with eight awards under Research and Development in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences NAICS classification and two under Ammunition Manufacturing.

Activity shows three awards in 2022, one in 2023, and three in 2025, with a recent $2.99 million award in February 2026. One award valued at $3 million (the Air Combat Command jammer vehicle integration contract) faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and represents recompete exposure. Combined obligated dollars across all awards total $9.9 million against a $46.01 billion combined potential value ceiling, reflecting the EWAAC IDC's placeholder-scale ceiling and modest task-order utilization to date. The vendor does not subcontract and operates entirely as a prime, with all eleven recent awards flowing directly to Liftwave facilities in Somerville, Massachusetts, and Norman, Oklahoma.

Design and manufacturing of hydraulic fluid-free electromechanical cylinders for industrial applications.