ASBTDC client Lapovations has received a $50,000 Small Business Innovation Research Matching Grant from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission to support their National Science Foundation SBIR grant.
“The matching funds from AEDC will allow us to fund some of the research and development efforts the SBIR grant didn’t fully cover and allows us to retain high-wage Arkansas jobs,” said Jared Greer, CEO of Lapovations.
Fayetteville-based Lapovations is about a third of the way through the grant period and right on schedule. “We expect production-quality prototypes for testing in early June,” said Nhiem Cao, the company’s director of operations.
ASBTDC Assistance
The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center guided Lapovations through the funding process.
“Martial Trigeaud and Rebecca Todd were instrumental towards our receiving the SBIR matching grant from AEDC. We had never applied for an SBIR matching grant and their assistance helped us effectively navigate the application process,” Greer said.
What’s Next for Lapovations?
“We are fully focused on completing the development of our first product and hope to launch in the U.S. in late 2019,” said Cao.
Advice for Arkansas Companies Interested in the SBIR Matching Grant Program
The Lapovations team strongly encourages Arkansas SBIR awardees to explore the SBIR Matching Grant program through AEDC.
“We highly recommend reaching out to ASBTDC for guidance and to not be shy about asking questions. The entrepreneurial community in Arkansas is very supportive and glad to help. We are fortunate to have the assistance of this community and the support of ASBTDC and AEDC,” said Greer.