Startup seed and pre-seed funding through grants
Are you fundraising for your startup or venture, but interested in holding on to your equity? If your response to the following three questions is "Yes", this event* is for you!
Are you a present or prospective co-founder or employee of a US-based startup?
Is your company considered a small business with 500 or fewer employees?
Do you have at least one of the following: (1) Initial prototype or promising data; (2) Customers or documented customer discovery/market study; (3) Initial funding from any source ?
Did you know that major companies such as Qualcomm and Amgen got started with the help of SBA (SBIR / STTR) grant funding? Grants are an excellent way to get seed- and pre-seed funding for projects deemed too risky by other investors.
To be sure: the effort seems daunting, and startups or small businesses often spend the equivalent of one full-time position or more just on writing grants, only to be rejected due to erroneous interpretation of opaque instructions, or “unwritten rules” of the agencies.
Preparation is therefore key! We will provide an overview of grant options available to startups and ventures, and how to position yourself, your startup, and your team for fundability.
We will cover:
1) SBA: Zero Equity and up to $3 Million for Standard Projects - SBIR/STTR overview across the agencies and alternatives
2) Eligibility: prerequisites for the venture and the proposal/project team
3) Example 1: National Science Foundation grants: from deep tech to AI topics and everything in between.
4) Example 2: National Institutes of Health: from dental health to oncology, clinical trials optional!
5) Example 3: Department of Defense - AFWERX: Wind funding and your first large customer at the same time!
6) What is truly important in my proposal, depending on the agency?
7) Political risks and evolving grant roadmaps: what does the rapidly changing federal funding landscape mean for me?
8) Alternatives to SBA grants and international opportunities through joint ventures