SBA to host seed fund road tour in San Juan Feb. 9
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it will launch a road tour to connect entrepreneurs developing advanced technologies to America’s Seed Fund, the largest early-stage federal funding source in the U.S., through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.
America’s Seed Fund provides more than $4 billion annually in non-dilutive funding for cutting-edge research and development (R&D) across 11 federal agencies.
For its San Juan stop on Feb. 9, the SBA is collaborating with the Puerto Rico Small Business and Technology Development Centers to link innovators with federal agencies offering non-dilutive SBIR/STTR grants and contracts.
The tour will also visit Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 7, at the Florida High Tech Corridor, the agency announced.
“The Road Tour plays an important role in increasing the engagement of our nation’s entrepreneurs with organizations supporting and financing next-generation innovations. The Road Tour will kick off with America’s Seed Fund Week, a Virtual Road Tour ahead of four in-person road tours scheduled to visit 16 states and territories in 2024,” the SBA said in a press release.
“The Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda is about connecting innovators with the resources and capital to support next-generation research and technology, from concept to commercialization,” said SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas-Guzmán.
“The SBA is coordinating this federal engagement to ensure innovative startups and small businesses from underserved states and communities can equitably access this critical source of early-stage funding,” she added.
Each Road Tour stop is organized with SBA’s Federal And State Technology (FAST) Partners, who guide entrepreneurs to America’s Seed Fund opportunities in their regions.
At each venue, technology entrepreneurs and small business owners will meet with federal representatives and attend sessions on navigating SBIR/STTR funding applications.
“Incubating cutting-edge American innovations, innovations capable of improving the human condition and increasing economic growth and opportunity frequently requires close coordination between the public and private sectors. America’s Seed Fund Tour strives to increase connectivity between innovators, experts, funders and federal resources in communities across America,” said Bailey DeVries, associate administrator of Investment and Innovation.
