Client Showcase

The Minnesota SBIR/STTR Accelerator™ facilitates the commercialization of deep tech ideas, concepts, and projects by leveraging federal research and development funding to small business in collaboration with government, industry, and academia.  In its seventh year, the Accelerator is funded through the Small Business Administration’s Federal and State Technology Partnership Program.  As the Governor’s designated resource, the Accelerator delivers confidential SBIR/STTR business and technical assistance to access federal investments.  Since its establishment in 2014, the Accelerator has assisted more than 50 companies to win more than $40M resulting in jobs, investments, patents, academic research partnerships and much more

Launch Minnesota is a new statewide collaborative effort to accelerate the growth of startups and amplify Minnesota as a national leader in innovation.

Launch Minnesota is the fiscal agent for SBIR/STTR Matching Grants for first time Phase I and Phase II awardees (up to $35,000 for Phase I awards and up to $50,000 for Phase II awards).  Minnesota awardees must be a client of the Accelerator to be eligible of the matching grant.

The Michigan Small Business Development Center administers the Michigan Emerging Technologies Fund (ETF). The ETF will match SBIR/STTR awards in the amounts of $25,000 for Phase I and up to $125,000 for Phase II (refer to Section E). ETF Grants do not need to be paid back; however, ETF must be used to help bring Michigan SBIR/STTR projects to Michigan. Funded by a grant from the Michigan Strategic Fund and administered through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, BBCetc provides SBIR/STTR proposal development services to technology-based entrepreneurs and early-stage companies throughout Michigan. The program provides training and one-one-one proposal preparation assistance to qualified companies, with the costs of these services covered primarily by the program.

Wyoming’s Phase 0/00 micro-seed award provides funds that can be used for attendance of SBIR conferences and workshops, communication with and travel to targeted federal agencies, consultant and mentor services for preparation of the Phase I/II proposal, proposal preparation and review, communications with potential customers, analyses to support test data preparation, acquisition of test data for inclusion in the Phase I/II proposal and other activities related to the Phase I/II proposal preparation. Startup: Wyoming offers SBIR Phase I and Phase II Matching Programs. Phase I matches are up to $100,000 for first-time Phase I awardees and up to $70,000 for repeat awardees. Phase II matching is up to $200,000. Applicants must commit to remaining in Wyoming for three years after commercialization of their technology and to seeking additional funding.

The Iowa Innovation SBIR/STTR Outreach Program BioConnect provides up to 25,000 in matching funds for Phase I awards, and an additional $25,000 on submission of a Phase II proposal. The program also reimburses up to 100% of professional proposal assistance for SBIR/STTR Phase I and Phase II applications. The Iowa Go-to-Market Accelerator program provides entrepreneurs with training in sales, marketing, corporate development, and finance, as well as pro bono legal, marketing, and HR services from more than a dozen participating firms.

MassVentures offers funds through their SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) program. The START program was initiated to assist Massachusetts-based companies in commercializing technologies developed under SBIR and STTR contracts. Each year, the program awards 10 “Stage I” grants of $100,000 each, 5 “Stage II” grants of $200,000 each to the most promising “Stage I” winners from last year, and 2 “Stage III” opportunities of up to $500,000 in seed capital in a commercial spinout for the most successful Stage II companies. Massachusetts companies that have received a Phase II SBIR or STTR award are eligible to apply for a Stage I START grant. The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDC) Government Sales Advisory Program provides free assistance with business entity and formation, identifying SBIR funding opportunities, strategies for approaching SBIR funding, reviewing proposals, and other services.

The South Dakota Proof of Concept SBIR Supplement program offers $25,000 to conduct research that demonstrates the technical and economic feasibility of an innovation before it is commercialized. The South Dakota Proof of Concept SBIR Phase 0 program offers $5,000 to support preliminary research and other activities related to development and submission of a Phase I SBIR/STTR proposal to a federal agency, with the goal of increasing competitiveness. Additionally, the South Dakota Proof of Concept SBIR Supplement offers up to $25,000 to support research into the feasibility of an innovation, but does require a 10% match from the Small Business.

This program offers a no-cost opportunity to receive valuable feedback from professional reviewers on planned Phase I proposal concepts. Further financial support is offered to those applicants whose proposal concepts are judged to have strong potential for competing successfully in a federal competition. These candidates will be awarded a MicroGrant from IPart that reimburses one-half of the cost incurred in preparing the proposal itself, up to a maximum of $2,000. The MicroVoucher reimburses one-half of the cost in preparing the Phase I SBIR/STTR itself, up to a maximum of $5,000, whichever is less. Phase II proposal candidates can use the Federal Marketing Assistance Awards to defray proposal prep admin costs or reports to enhance the commercialization section, up to $5,000 or half of the total proposal preparation cost, whichever is less.

The Western New York Incubator Network (WIN) SBIR/STTR assistance program links applicants with outside experts to assist in proposal preparation. WIN will cover the full cost of engaging an experienced consultant for a well-qualified proposal, up to $4,000. Phase I and Phase II applications are both eligible.

The Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) encompasses several programs that can assist your company from start-up to maturity. NYSTAR currently organizes two innovation assistance grant mechanisms, the Defense Industry Assistance initiative and the New York Smart Cities Innovation Partnership, that are available to small manufacturers, early-stage companies, and non-profit organizations.

The NM SBIR Grant is to accelerate the commercialization of technologies developed with SBIR awards. Awards will fund and assist New Mexico science and technology companies with the goal of market entry, customer acquisition, business expiation, job creation, and increasing the tax base. Companies with an active Phase I SBIR/STTR can receive up to $25,000 in support, whereas companies with an active Phase II SBIR/STTR can receive up to $100,000 in commercialization assistance.

Additionally, the NM Federal and State Technology (NM FAST) partnership program provides SBIR and STTR proposal development assistance to small businesses throughout NM. The New Mexico Small Business Assistance (NMSBA) Program provides New Mexico small businesses facing technical challenges access to the unique expertise and capabilities of Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories. At no cost to the business, small businesses can seek assistance from lab scientists and engineers to solve challenges and overcome barriers to company success.