Arkansas-Based Seed Funding Opportunities
Arkansas Economic Development Commission Division of Science and Technology
The AEDC Division of Science and Technology offers several incentive programs for early-stage businesses, including matching funds for SBIR/STTR award winners and small grants to help firms defray some of the costs of engaging a professional to help prepare an SBIR or STTR proposal.
The SBIR Matching Grant program will match SBIR awards up to $50,000 for Phase I and $100,000 for Phase II. AEDC also offers R&D tax incentives and an equity investment tax credit.
Arkansas Development and Finance Authority
The Arkansas Development Finance Authority has a matching fund program, the Arkansas Risk Capital Matching Fund, that targets investments toward technology-based enterprises that are in the early stages of development and are not yet able to attract adequate private sources of traditional financing or venture or investor-backed capital for their growth and development.
Innovate Arkansas
Innovate Arkansas is a program of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Winrock International that works to promote technology-based innovation and jobs. As part of their efforts, Innovate Arkansas helps prepare entrepreneurs to raise capital.
Fund for Arkansas’ Future
Fund for Arkansas’ Future targets companies with an emphasis on technology or biotechnology, although it will also consider other companies having significant growth potential.
Angel Investors and Venture Capital
Angel groups often invest in pre-revenue companies, but most venture capital firms require that a company have some operating history. Fund for Arkansas’ Future is one of the few organized groups of Arkansas-based angel investors. NewRoad Capital Partners is a venture capital firm located in Rogers.
Capital-Raising Resources from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
With the Securities and Exchange Commission’s navigator tool, explore the pathways entrepreneurs can use to raise capital from investors.
Find additional information for small businesses from the SEC on raising capital at sec.gov/smallbusiness.