#SeedtheFuture
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#SeedtheFuture
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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”.
America's Seed Fund Road Tour plays an important role in encouraging participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by members of underrepresented groups while supporting the mission of the SBIR/STTR programs to support scientific excellence and technological innovation to build a strong national economy.
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.
Announcing the 2024 Road Tour
Learn more about each tour below.
America's Seed Fund Week/2024 Road Tour Virtual
January 23 - 25 | Complete
America's Seed Fund Week kicked off our 2024 Road Tour with a free and virtual opportunity for startups and small businesses to learn about the $4 billion non-dilutive funding available through SBIR/STTR programs.
2024 Road Tour: South
April 2 - 5
- April 2 | Little Rock, Arkansas
Hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center - April 3 | Jackson, Mississippi
Hosted by Innovate Mississippi, Jackson State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi - April 4 | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Hosted by LSU Innovation - April 5 | Houston, Texas
Hosted by the University of Texas at San Antonio
Texas South West SBDC
Technology Commercialization Center
2024 Road Tour: Southeast
May 13 - 17
- May 13 | Columbia, South Carolina
Hosted by University of South Carolina - May 14 | Atlanta, Georgia
Hosted by Innovation Gateway - University of Georgia, Center for Black Entrepreneurship, and Small Business Development Center at Morehouse - May 15 | Knoxville, Tennessee
Hosted by Launch Tennessee - May 16 | Lexington, Kentucky
Hosted by the Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation - May 17 | Huntington, West Virginia
Hosted by TechConnect West Virginia and Marshall University
2024 Road Tour: Great Lakes
July 15 - 19
- July 15 | East Lansing, Michigan
Hosted by BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting's Michigan Program - July 16 | Indianapolis, Indiana
Hosted by Indiana Economic Development Corporation - July 17 | Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
Hosted by Research Park at the University of Illinois - July 18 | Madison, Wisconsin
Hosted by the Center for Technology Commercialization - July 19 | Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hosted by MNSBIR, Inc.
- April 2 | Little Rock, Arkansas
Midwest 2023 Resources
Download Now
Thank you to those who participated in the 2023 Midwest Road Tour!
Stay tuned for the 2024 announcement - coming soon!
Oklahoma City, OK
July 17
Wichita, KS
July 18
Kansas City, MO
July 19
Hosted by Missouri Small Business Development Center, University of Missouri
Venue: Bloch School at the University of Missouri - Kansas City
Lincoln, NE
July 20
Hosted by the Nebraska Small Business Development Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha
Venue: Howard L. Hawks Hall
Des Moines, IA
July 21
Hosted by the Iowa Small Business Development Center, Iowa State University of Science and Technology
Venue: FFA Enrichment Center, Des Moines Area Community
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!
Jacqueline Gray
Genevieve Lind
Peter Roohr
Abigail Acosta-Roots
SBIR/STTR Program Manager
Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JSTO-CBD)
Thomas Piazza
Sheree Brown
Special Outreach Assistant to the Midwest Regional Executive Team
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Yashita Sharma
James O. Wilson
Assistant Regional Director
Midwest Regional Office
United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
Patricia Tomczyszyn
Erick Page-Littleford
Acting Director and Program Manager
Office of Investment and Innovation
Elden Hawkes, Jr.
Partnership and Innovation Specialist
Office of Investment and Innovation
Nancy Kamei
SBIR Program Development Specialist
Office of Investment and Innovation
Kathleen "Katy" Sly
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Office of Investment and Innovation
Michelle Andrade
Outreach Engagement
Operations Specialist
Office of Investment and Innovation
Jessica Boone
Outreach Engagement
Operations Specialist
Office of Investment and Innovation
Frank Gruber
Outreach Engagement
Operations Specialist
Office of Investment and Innovation
1:1 Meeting Resources
These resources will help attendees of the 2024 Road Tour prepare for potential 1:1 meetings with federal agency representatives.
How to complete a quad chart
Please review this Completing a Quad Chart video for guidance in preparing a quad chart. Quad charts are required to be considered for a 1:1 in-person meeting with federal agency representatives.
Innovator’s Guide for preparing for 1:1 meetings with federal SBIR/STTR program representatives
Jerry Hollister, Michigan FAST awardee and Executive Consultant and Co-Owner, BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting, provides tips on making the most out of your 1:1 meetings on the Road Tour.
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. In July 2023, Road Tour Midwest took place and was the first in-person event since 2019. This year, America's Seed Fund Week/Road Tour Virtual kicks off the 2024 Road Tour.
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
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Small Business Administration © 2024
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.