Question 1

What is Blacksmith AI?

Accepted Answer

Blacksmith AI LLC is a technology company building AI-powered platforms for the government contracting (GovCon) industry. Our flagship product is VULCAN, the first all-in-one GovCon AI platform.

Question 2

What is VULCAN?

Accepted Answer

VULCAN is the first all-in-one GovCon AI platform built by Blacksmith AI. It integrates SAM.gov opportunity tracking, AI-powered proposal writing, organizational data management, geospatial intelligence, and more into a single unified workspace.

Question 3

Who is VULCAN for?

Accepted Answer

VULCAN is designed for government contractors of all sizes, from solo consultants to mid-size firms with up to 15 team members. Whether you're new to GovCon or an experienced contractor, VULCAN streamlines your workflow.

Question 4

What is Chiron?

Accepted Answer

Chiron is Blacksmith AI's upcoming second platform. Details will be announced soon. Stay tuned to our website and social channels for updates.

Question 5

How does the SAM.gov scoring work?

Accepted Answer

Our patent-pending algorithm analyzes federal opportunities in real-time and scores them against your organization's profile, capabilities, past performance, and strategic goals. This helps you quickly identify high-value opportunities worth pursuing.

Question 6

What is Atlas Forge?

Accepted Answer

Atlas Forge is VULCAN's geospatial intelligence module providing interactive mapping of federal contract opportunities, competitors, and agency footprints worldwide. It gives you a visual edge in understanding the competitive landscape.

Question 7

What AI models does VULCAN use?

Accepted Answer

VULCAN integrates with leading AI providers including Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, Google (Gemini), and others. Our multi-model architecture selects the best model for each task to deliver optimal results.

Question 8

Can VULCAN write entire proposals?

Accepted Answer

VULCAN's AI-powered proposal engine can draft full proposal sections including technical approach, management approach, past performance narratives, staffing plans, and compliance matrices. All content should be reviewed and refined by your team before submission.

Question 9

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We offer a 7-day free trial on all plans. No credit card required. You'll get full access to every feature during the trial period.

Question 10

How does per-seat pricing work?

Accepted Answer

Each individual user in your organization needs a separate seat. Volume discounts start at 5 seats. All seats include every feature and 250,000 AI tokens per billing cycle.

Question 11

Are there volume discounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Per-seat pricing decreases as your team grows. Discounts begin at 5 seats and increase at higher tiers. Visit our pricing page or use the interactive calculator for exact rates.

Question 12

Can I cancel my subscription?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can cancel at any time. No long-term contracts or cancellation fees. Your data is retained for 30 days after cancellation so you can export anything you need.

Question 13

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Blacksmith AI maintains security controls appropriate for Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) environments aligned with NIST SP 800-171. All data is encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2+).

Question 14

Is my data used to train AI models?

Accepted Answer

No. Your data is never used to train, fine-tune, or improve any AI provider's general-purpose models. We maintain enterprise-tier agreements with all AI providers that explicitly prohibit model training with customer data.

Question 15

Where is my data stored?

Accepted Answer

All data is stored on AWS infrastructure in the United States (us-east-1 region) with MongoDB Atlas. We implement strict access controls, role-based access, and multi-factor authentication for all administrative access.

Question 16

Are you CMMC compliant?

Accepted Answer

We are actively pursuing CMMC readiness and SOC 2 Type II compliance. Our security controls are aligned with NIST 800-171 and designed to support our users' compliance obligations under DFARS requirements.

Question 17

What is the Reseller Program?

Accepted Answer

Our non-exclusive VULCAN Reseller Program lets partners earn a 5% perpetual commission on every subscription they refer for the lifetime of the account. Territory is worldwide with full marketing support and co-branded assets.

Question 18

What is the Early Adopter Beta Program?

Accepted Answer

The Early Adopter Beta Program gives select organizations discounted access to VULCAN in exchange for structured feedback. Beta partners help shape the platform's development with a direct line to our engineering team.

Question 19

How do I become a partner?

Accepted Answer

Visit our Partners page or contact us through the Contact page. Select 'Partnership Opportunities' as your reason for contact and we'll discuss the best partnership path for your organization.

Question 20

What services does Blacksmith AI offer besides VULCAN?

Accepted Answer

We offer website building, custom software and app development, supplier portals and dashboards, technology and software subcontracting for defense contracts, AI/ML integration, and professional proposal writing services.

Question 21

Do you offer proposal writing as a service?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For organizations not yet ready to use the VULCAN platform, our team delivers compliance-checked, section-complete proposals for federal RFPs, RFIs, and sources sought at competitive rates with fast turnaround.

Question 22

Can you subcontract on defense programs?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We serve as dedicated technical and software subject matter experts on defense contracts, providing engineering support for proposal development, technical volume writing, and program execution.

Question 23

How do I sign up for VULCAN?

Accepted Answer

Click 'Start Free Trial' on our website or visit the pricing page. You'll create an account and get immediate access to the full platform for 7 days with no credit card required.

Question 24

What do I need to get started?

Accepted Answer

Just an email address to create your account. To get the most out of VULCAN, you'll want to upload your organization profile, employee roster, and past performance data. Our onboarding flow guides you through each step.

Question 25

Is there onboarding support?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All plans include onboarding resources and email support. Team and Enterprise plans include priority support. You can also request a live demo for a personalized walkthrough before signing up.

Question 26

How do I get support?

Accepted Answer

All plans include email support at info@blacksmithai.net. Team and Enterprise plans include priority support with faster response times. Enterprise customers get a dedicated account manager.

Question 27

What are your support hours?

Accepted Answer

Our team is available during standard business hours (Central Time). For urgent matters related to account security or data breaches, include 'URGENT' in your email subject line for priority handling.

Question 28

Can I request a demo?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Visit our Demo page to request a personalized walkthrough. Our team will reach out within 24 hours to schedule a live session covering the features most relevant to your organization.

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