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WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it will launch a road tour to Southeastern states to connect underrepresented entrepreneurs with contract funding for innovation and technology.
The America’s Seed Fund Road Tour 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 SBA Administrator Isabel C. Guzman. “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.”
Each Road Tour visit is hosted by SBA’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partners, who serve as navigators connecting entrepreneurs to America’s Seed Fund opportunities in their regions. At each visit, entrepreneurs and small business owners have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with nearly two dozen federal agency representatives and attend programming to support their America’s Seed Fund journey.
“America’s Seed Fund Road Tour plays an important role in ensuring broad access to a critical source of early-stage research and development capital, especially for entrepreneurs historically underrepresented in America’s innovation economy,” said Associate Administrator for Investment and Innovation Bailey DeVries. “Raising awareness of the opportunities available through the SBIR and STTR programs at the local and regional level is imperative to spurring technological innovation and building a thriving and secure American economy.”
America’s Seed Fund Road Tour: Southeast, May 13-17
Monday, May 13 | Columbia, SC Venue: Pastides Alumni Center
Hosted by the University of South Carolina
Tuesday, May 14 | Atlanta, GA Venue: AUC Robert W. Woodruff Library
Hosted by Innovation Gateway – University of Georgia, Center for Black Entrepreneurship, and Small Business Development Center at Morehouse. Event and registration details here.
Wednesday, May 15 | Knoxville, TN Venue: University of Tennessee Conference Center
Hosted by Launch Tennessee
Thursday, May 16 | Lexington, KY Venue: Marriott Griffin Gate
Hosted by the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation
Friday, May 17 | Huntington, WV Venue: Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation, Marshall University
Hosted by TechConnect West Virginia and Marshall University
One more in-person road tour will be held in July in the Great Lakes regions. For more detailed information on the America’s Seed Fund Road Tour stops and registration to attend in person, visithttps://www.americasseedfund.us/road-tour.