SSR - December 1, 2023

Written By Claire Tilmont

Are you curious about SBIR/STTR federal funding programs? Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs encourage R&D on innovations with commercialization potential. Many of the companies I write about in this newsletter started out as just that - unproven concepts that needed work before launch. There are a number of SBIR/STTR grant programs opening up in coming months. Here are a few:

Louisiana

Obatala Sciences had a big announcement last week. The New Orleans-based biotech startup has commercially launched its ObaCell Obesity-on-a-Chip for screening therapeutics targeting obesity and diabetes. Congratulations to New Orleans-based Bea’s Bayou Skincare and Baton Rouge-based Suds Laundry Service for winning top prizes in the Black Ambition Prize. Out of 2,000 applicants, 36 startups won awards of between $20K and the $1M million grand prize. Black Ambition, founded by Pharrell Williams, has awarded approximately $6M to 65 innovative entrepreneurs, who have gone on to raise $92M collectively. Additional congrats to the winners of Nexus LA's 2023 BizTech Challenge! Seven student teams representing HBCUs across Louisiana pitched their STEM-based business ideas to a live audience and a panel of judges during Bayou Classic. ME Company, a web-based business card platform, took home the top prize of $10K. Read about the other winners here. The dates for NOEW have been announced. Mark your calendars for March 11-16th. With thousands of attendees, you don’t want to miss this packed week of keynote speeches, networking events, and the big pitch. Up next - Startup Nola’s first Monthly Startup Ecosystem Meetup is next week on Dec. 5th. I’ll see you there!

Arkansas

The Venture Center’s Veteran-Owned Small Business Accelerator has kicked off with 9 new founders. Meet the cohort here. Startup Junkie introduced me to the YIPPEE Exchange this week. The site has free education resources to get entrepreneurial skill building opportunities in front of students. Very cool. Check it out.

Florida

Kind Designs is back in the news with another round of funding for its Living Seawalls. The Miami-based climate-tech startup uses sustainable materials to produce 3D-printed Living Seawalls, which protect coastal communities from floods and storm surges, create marine habitats, sequester carbon and collect water quality data. Backers include Mark Cuban, Anthropocene Ventures, Govo Venture Partners, M4 Investing, and the Florida Opportunity Fund. Continuing the good climate tech news, three FIU undergraduate students won first place at the 2023 AIS Software Innovation Challenge, which focuses on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty, clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and climate action. The students developed Sireen, an app that connects with internet of things devices within forests to deliver updates on conditions like visibility, temperature, and carbon dioxide levels. Further congratulations go to Compensate Community, a $75K top prize winner at Pharrell Williams’ Black Ambition’s Demo Day.

Georgia

Grubbly Farms, an Atlanta-based pet food company, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A funding led by Overline and Oval Park Capital. Grubbly Farms uses farm-fresh ingredients and black soldier fly grub protein to support pet nutrition using a sustainable, planet-friendly protein alternative. The Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurship, a hub for Black-owned business owners and entrepreneurs in Atlanta, received a $1.5M gift from Wells Fargo at its holiday party. The funding will go towards developing 100 small business owners through RICE’s Supply Chain Accelerator, building out the Wells Fargo Learning Lab, and funding RICE entrepreneurs through 50 small business micro grants.


North Carolina

Arrivo BioVentures, a Morrisville-based biopharmaceutical company, raised another $45M in Series B funding, bringing total funding to date to $100M. This round was led by Orlando Health Ventures with participation from Solas BioVentures Emerging Healthcare Fund, Rex Health Ventures, and several private investors. Sanford-based PlantSwitch received $2M from NexPoint. The investment was part of a total $7.7M raised in this early fundraise round. PlantSwitch also recently received a $4.94M federal grant from the Department of Agriculture. Founded in 2020, PlantSwitch is a bioplastics manufacturing company using agricultural waste products such as rice husks combined with a polymer to make sustainable bioplastics. In ESO news, First Flight Venture Center hosted over 300 attendees for its 2023 High Flyer Awards Luncheon in Cary, NC. The event brought together entrepreneurs, innovators, and influencers from across North Carolina to celebrate the 2023 High Flyer Award recipients. At the event, President Krista Covey announced a state gift of $10M to continue the organization’s good work. Congrats

Tennessee

Oak Ridge National Laboratory joined the Trillion Parameter Consortium, a global group of scientists from 60 federal laboratories, research institutes, academia, and industry to address the challenges of building large-scale AI systems and advancing trustworthy AI for scientific discovery. Teknovation calls it a “logical partnership” given ORNL’s mission to develop safe, trustworthy, and energy-efficient AI. Each Monday through mid-December, check out Maker City's Instagram and place a bid on your favorite items. Makers keep 100% of the sale price. Applications are now open for the LabStart Fellowship, a year-long program for underrepresented founders with climate-focused startups. Apply here.

 
Recent Rounds

Atlanta, GA / Grubbly Farms N/A

Charlotte, NC / Craftwork $6M Seed

Charlotte, NC / STAline Holdings $15M (open)

Miami, FL / BeMeHealth $1.5M

Miami, FL / Letterhead $5.3M Seed

Morrisville, NC / Arrivo BioVentures $45M Series B

Sanford, NC / PlantSwitch $2M

Tampa, FL / Vu Technologies


Events Calendar

Pitch Deck Competition & Accelerator Application Deadlines

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Claire Tilmont
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