WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) visited Orlando, Fla., on Feb. 7, and Puerto Rico on Feb. 9 during its America’s Seed Fund Road Tour, a national outreach effort to connect entrepreneurs working on advanced and innovative technology to the country’s largest source of early-stage research and development grant and contract funding opportunities.

The Road Tour helps connect underrepresented groups in innovation and entrepreneurship with sources of capital via the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. America’s Seed Fund, comprised of the SBIR/STTR programs, supports next-generation research & development (R&D) and commercialization of innovations and provides over $4 billion each year in non-dilutive funding from 11 participating federal agencies.

“America relies on ingenuity to develop critical technologies and create the industries of the future, and we need all great ideas and inventions to propel our global leadership,” said Administrator Guzman in her remarks. “This is a remarkable time to start up in this country – under the Biden-Harris Administration, we are Investing in America, research and development, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and more.  President Biden believes that America is about possibilities. And he's fighting to ensure American ingenuity and innovation can power our economy and our nation forward.”  

SBA’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partner, the Florida High Tech Corridor, hosted the Road Tour stop in Orlando, and the Puerto Rico Small Business Technology Development Center hosted the Road Tour stop in Puerto Rico. Hundreds of innovators and entrepreneurs attended the event to learn more about America’s Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR) programs and participated in one-on-one meetings with nearly two-dozen federal agency representatives.

“America’s Seed Fund Road Tour plays an important role in educating and encouraging entrepreneurs, many of whom are historically underrepresented in America’s innovation economy, to access federal resources available through the SBIR/STTR programs,” said Associate Administrator for Investment and Innovation Bailey DeVries. “Raising awareness of this program at the local and regional level is imperative to spurring technological innovation and building a thriving and secure American economy.”

Three more in-person road tours will be held later in 2024 in the South, Southeast, and Great Lakes regions. For more detailed information on the America’s Seed Fund Road Tour stops and registration to attend in person, visit https://www.americasseedfund.us/road-tour.

For more information about America’s Seed Fund (SBIR/STTR) programs, please visit www.sbir.gov.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, or expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. Learn more at sba.gov.

About SBA Office of Investment and Innovation

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Investment and Innovation (OII) leads programs that provide the high-growth small business community with access to two things: financial capital and R&D funds to develop commercially viable innovations. Our work is underpinned by public-private partnerships that help small businesses on their trajectory from idea to IPO. Learn more at www.sba.gov.

Christine Saah Nazer
U.S. Small Business Administration
christine.saahnazer@sba.gov