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#SeedtheFuture

  • Welcome
  • Programs & Events 
    • Agency Resources
    • Innovation Ecosystem Summit
    • America's Seed Fund Week
    • Growth Accelerator Fund Comp
    • Road Tour
    • Startup Expo
    • Navigating America's Seed Fund
  • Contact
  • …  
    • Welcome
    • Programs & Events 
      • Agency Resources
      • Innovation Ecosystem Summit
      • America's Seed Fund Week
      • Growth Accelerator Fund Comp
      • Road Tour
      • Startup Expo
      • Navigating America's Seed Fund
    • Contact
    NEW: Agency Resources
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    broken image

    #SeedtheFuture

    • Welcome
    • Programs & Events 
      • Agency Resources
      • Innovation Ecosystem Summit
      • America's Seed Fund Week
      • Growth Accelerator Fund Comp
      • Road Tour
      • Startup Expo
      • Navigating America's Seed Fund
    • Contact
    • …  
      • Welcome
      • Programs & Events 
        • Agency Resources
        • Innovation Ecosystem Summit
        • America's Seed Fund Week
        • Growth Accelerator Fund Comp
        • Road Tour
        • Startup Expo
        • Navigating America's Seed Fund
      • Contact
      NEW: Agency Resources
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        America's Seed Fund Road Tour

        America’s Seed Fund Road Tour is a national outreach effort to connect innovators and entrepreneurs to non-dilutive, technology funding opportunities provided through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, known as “America’s Seed Fund”.

         

        Federal Agency representatives have been invited to attend a series of events that bring together local and national innovation ecosystems to help attendees navigate over $4 billion in early-stage funding opportunities through America’s Seed Fund.

      • Midwest 2023 Resources

      • Download Now

         

        DOWNLOAD SLIDES
      • Thank you to those who participated in the 2023 Midwest Road Tour!

        Stay tuned for the 2024 announcement - coming soon!

        Cityscape of Oklahoma City. This image contains a hyperlink to register for the OKC stop.

        Oklahoma City, OK

        July 17

        Register

        Hosted by OK Catalyst, University of Oklahoma

        Venue: OKC Convention Center

        Cityscape of Wichita. This image contains a hyperlink to register for the Wichita stop.

        Wichita, KS

        July 18

        Register

        Hosted by Wichita State University

        Venue: Wichita State University, Woolsey Hall

        Cityscape of Kansas City. This image contains a hyperlink to register for the KC stop.

        Kansas City, MO

        July 19

        Register

        Hosted by Missouri Small Business Development Center, University of Missouri

        Venue: Bloch School at the University of Missouri - Kansas City

        Cityscape of  Lincoln. This image contains a hyperlink to register for the Lincoln stop.

        Lincoln, NE

        July 20

        Register

        Hosted by the Nebraska Small Business Development Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha

        Venue: Howard L. Hawks Hall

        Cityscape of Des Moines. This image contains a hyperlink to register for the Des Moines stop.

        Des Moines, IA

        July 21

        Register

        Hosted by the Iowa Small Business Development Center, Iowa State University of Science and Technology

        Venue: FFA Enrichment Center, Des Moines Area Community

      • PARTICIPATING FEDERAL AGENCIES

         

        America's Seed Fund Road Tour Federal Agency logos that are participating in Midwest 2023: Navy, AFWERX, JSTO-CBD, SOCOM, NIH, NSF, DOE, DHS, USDA, NIST, NOAA, USPTO, FLC, MBDA
      • America's Seed Fund Road Tour - Midwest 2023

        Topic Morning Agenda for Each Stop (subject to change)

        8 - 8:15 AM Host Introduction and Welcome

         

        8:15 - 8:45 AM America's Seed Fund - SBIR/STTR Overview

        Speaker: U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        8:45 - 9:35 AM Reverse Pitches

        4-Minute Agency Elevator Pitches
        DoD (Navy, AFWERX, JSTO-CBD, SOCOM), NIH, NSF, DOE, DHS, USDA, NIST, NOAA

        9:35 - 10:04 AM Finding Help and Support

        Learn about how resources of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Federal Lab Consortium (FLC), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and FAST may be part of your journey.
        Moderator: SBA
        Panelists: USPTO, FLC, MBDA, FAST Partner

        10:05 - 10:44 AM Flexible Funding - The Granting Agencies

        Panel discussion with Program Managers highlighting the unique aspects guiding the SBIR agencies that use grants as the funding vehicle. Topics: identifying agency focus, investigator-initiated projects, application/evaluation processes, contacting the agency, and the importance of commercialization strategy.
        Moderator: SBA
        Panelists: NSF, NIH, USDA, NIST

        10:45 - 11:24 AM Comprehensive Interests - The DoD

        Panel discussion with Program Managers highlighting the breadth of interest across the DoD. The DoD accounts for almost half of the SBIR/STTR award dollars each year. Topics: topic selection, proposal assistance, evaluation process, DoD as an investigator, data rights, and DoD as a customer, transitioning to Phase III.
        Moderator: SBA
        Panelists: AFWERX, JSTO-CBD, SOCOM, NAVY

        11:25 AM - 12:05 PM Inside the Head of an Evaluator

        Panel discussion with Program Managers about preparing a competitive proposal. Topics: criteria used in the evaluation process, common myth-busting, developing a realistic work plan, and how to use the feedback.
        Moderator: SBA
        Panelists: DOE, DHS, USDA, NOAA

        12:15 PM Federal Agency representatives board the bus

      • WHO WILL BE THERE

        Meet the participating Federal Agency representatives and America's Seed Fund Road Tour - Midwest team below!

        Headshot of Jacqueline Gray, SBIR Program Manager, NIST; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Jacqueline Gray

        SBIR Program Manager

        Department of Commerce

        National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Genevieve Lind, SBIR Program Manager, NOAA; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Genevieve Lind

        SBIR Program Manager

        Department of Commerce

        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Pete Roohr, SBIR Program Manager, NOAA; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Peter Roohr

        SBIR Program Manager

        Department of Commerce

        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot, Meghan Scott, Open Topic Program Manager, AFWERX

        Meghan Scott

        Open Topic Program Manager

        and Liaison

        Department of Defense

        AFWERX AF Ventures

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Kellyn White, Program Support, AFWERX AF Ventures; Participating in Road Tour Midwest

        Kellyn White

        Program Support

        Department of Defense

        AFWERX

        AF Ventures

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Abigail Acosta-Roots, SBIR/STTR Program Manager, DoD, JSTO-CBD; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Abigail Acosta-Roots

        SBIR/STTR Program Manager

        Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD)

        Read Bio
        Headshot, Drew McDougall, SBIR/STTR Outreach, DoD Navy

        Drew McDougall

        SBIR/STTR Outreach

        Department of Defense

        Navy

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Thomas Piazza, SBIR/STTR Program Specialist, DoD, SOCOM; Participating in Road Tour Midwest

        Thomas Piazza

        SBIR/STTR Program Support

        Department of Defense

        U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Eileen Chant, SBIR/STTR Outreach Program Manager, DOE; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Eileen Chant

        SBIR/STTR Outreach Program Manager

        Department of Energy (DOE)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Dusty Lang, Director, SBIR Program, DHS; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Dusty Lang

        Director, SBIR Program

        Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Adam Sorkin, Small Business Policy Manager, NIH; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Adam Sorkin

        Small Business Policy Manager

        National Institutes of Health (NIH)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Ed Chinchoy, SBIR/STTR Program Director, NSF;Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Ed Chinchoy

        SBIR/STTR Program Director

        National Science Foundation (NSF)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Parvathi Chundi, SBIR/STTR Program Director, NSF; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Parvathi Chundi

        SBIR/STTR Program Director

        National Science Foundation (NSF)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Ben Schrag, SBIR/STTR Program Director, NSF; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Ben Schrag

        SBIR/STTR Program Director

        National Science Foundation (NSF)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Tammi Neville, SBIR/STTR Program Specialist, USDA; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Tammi Neville

        SBIR/STTR Program Specialist

        United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Chris Philips, National Program Leader, USDA; participating in Road Tour Midwest

        Chris Philips

        National Program Leader

        United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Jamela Mavrakis, National Program Manager, FLC; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Jamela Mavrakis

        National Partnerships Manager

        Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC)

         

         

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Sheree Brown, Special Outreach Assistant, USPTO; participating in Road Tour Midwest

        Sheree Brown

        Special Outreach Assistant to the Midwest Regional Executive Team

        United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Yashita Sharma, Primary Patent Examiner & Outreach Advisor, USPTO; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Yashita Sharma

        Primary Patent Examiner and Outreach Advisor

        United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of James O. Wilson, Assistant Regional Director, Midwest, USPTO; participating in Road Tour 2023

        James O. Wilson

        Assistant Regional Director

        Midwest Regional Office 

        United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Patricia Tomczyszyn,  Senior Strategic Alliance Specialist, MBDA; Road Tour Midwest participant

        Patricia Tomczyszyn

        Senior Strategic Alliance Specialist

        Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)

         

         

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Erick Page-Littleford, Acting Director and Program Manager, SBIR/STTR, SBA; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Erick Page-Littleford

        Acting Director and Program Manager

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Elden Hawkes, Jr., Partnership and Innovation Specialist, SBA; Participating in America's Seed Fund Road Tour Midwest 2023

        Elden Hawkes, Jr.

        Partnership and Innovation Specialist

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Nancy Kamei, SBIR Program Development Specialist, SBA; participating in Road Tour Midwest

        Nancy Kamei

        SBIR Program Development Specialist

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Katy Sly, Marketing and Communications Specialist, SBA

        Kathleen "Katy" Sly

        Marketing and Communications Specialist

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Michelle Andrade, Outreach Engagement Operations SBA

        Michelle Andrade

        Outreach Engagement

        Operations Specialist

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Jessica Boone, Outreach Engagement Operations, SBA

        Jessica Boone

        Outreach Engagement

        Operations Specialist

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
        Headshot of Frank Gruber, Outreach Engagement Operations, SBA

        Frank Gruber

        Outreach Engagement

        Operations Specialist

        Office of Investment and Innovation

        U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

        Read Bio
      • RESOURCES & PREPARING FOR PARTICIPATION 

        To prepare for one-on-one meetings with Program Managers during America's Seed Fund Road Tour, you'll need to prepare a Quad Chart.

        Completing a Quad Chart

        To prepare for one-on-one meetings with Agency representatives during America's Seed Fund Road Tour, you'll need to prepare a Quad Chart. Review this Completing a Quad Chart video for guidance.

         

        Please reach out to your state's Host for guidance!

      • ROAD TOUR HISTORY & HIGHLIGHTS

        Between 2015 and 2019, America’s Seed Fund Road Tour visited every state and Puerto Rico - mostly traveling by bus between stops, with virtual events held between 2020 and 2022. This year’s America’s Seed Fund Road Tour will be held in-person.

         

        As part of America’s Seed Fund Road Tour, local Federal And State Technology (FAST) Partners coordinate with SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation and SBA Field Offices to host each stop and programming throughout the day. Federal agency representatives representing the 11 SBIR and STTR funding agencies, as well as organizations that provide resources to entrepreneurs and small businesses, travel to each stop along the tour in a meeting of local and national innovation ecosystems.

      • Stay Up-to-Date @SBIRgov

        Questions?

        Send Us a Message

      Small Business Administration © 2023

       

      SBA’s participation in this activity is not an endorsement of the views, opinions, products or services of any other person or entity. All SBA programs and services are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

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