Niwot Technologies, LLC (Niwot Tech) purchased technology rights from Aerospace Design & Development, Inc. (ADD) in December of 2009. ADD was a small business located in Boulder, Colorado that specialized in cryogenics, heat transfer, and high temperature insulation research and development programs. Founded in March of 1987, it was based on personnel from the Boulder Cryogenics Division of Beech Aircraft which sold its business to Ball Aerospace Systems at the end of 1986. This acquisition left an unserved region in high technology methods in cryogenic analysis and development for smaller projects. The engineering staff at Aerospace Design & Development specialized in projects which required the unbiased study of cryogenic and thermal control systems for aerospace applications not currently met by other companies. The ADD personnel transferred to Niwot Tech.

The purpose of Niwot Technologies is to provide a high level of technical expertise for relatively small cryogenic, heat transfer and high temperature insulation projects. Large companies have both a major commitment to program management procedures and a sizable infrastructure which greatly increases the direct and overhead costs of all programs. The Niwot Tech idea is to provide the level of control necessary to the size and type of the program. Personnel associated with Niwot Tech are familiar with the requirements of space qualified cryogenics and with the needs of laboratory cryogenics and understand the need for different levels of control and management of the different types of projects. The accounting system of Niwot Tech is consistent with the need to separate the expenses incurred on the different programs.

By working in conjunction with other small businesses located in the greater Denver Metro area, Niwot Technologies can perform projects requiring a wide range of expertise without the large overhead costs of maintaining a diverse range of in-house capability. This "consortium" approach allows Niwot Tech to respond to and to perform a wide range of programs at a reasonable cost.

Niwot Technologies is familiar with the requirements of NASA, Department of Defense, and university cryogenics and heat transfer projects. Personnel currently in the company have worked and directed all three types of programs.

Since their establishment, Aerospace Design & Development and Niwot Technologies have performed over 60 contracts for NASA, and the DOD, as well as private industry. These contracts have ranged from small consulting contracts to larger hardware contracts involving engineering analysis, design, fabrication, and acceptance testing. This experience, which transferred to Niwot Tech, coupled with the previous cryogenic experience the principals in the company obtained at Beech Aircraft means Niwot Tech is well suited to perform virtually any type of cryogenic and heat transfer engineering.