A dozen small businesses from across Arkansas are participating in the summer 2024 Lab2Launch Accelerator program that prepares participants to complete high-quality Small Business Innovation Research proposals for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The L2L Accelerator provides Arkansas innovators seeking a first SBIR/STTR grant with no-cost support as they develop proposals. At weekly virtual meetings, they delve into the funding priorities of the USDA, along with its SBIR proposal requirements, review criteria, and processes.
Innovators from Conway, Midway (Baxter County), Wynne, Searcy, Jonesboro, Jacksonville, and Little Rock are taking part, thanks to the virtual format.
The eight-week program, which kicked off June 27, is offered jointly by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center and Arkansas APEX Accelerator and also features guest experts from USDA and Arkansas’s entrepreneurial support system.
Ag Innovations on a Range of Topics
Participants were accepted into the accelerator because they are developing science and engineering-based products and process innovations tailored to the agriculture industry’s needs.
The sessions help them pace their work as they prepare their USDA application, with the goal of completing and submitting a competitive proposal by the agency’s September deadline.
Since many in the cohort are first-time applicants, the accelerator offers a valuable overview of federal non-dilutive seed funding.
Through its SBIR/STTR programs, USDA awards grants to small businesses in a variety of topic areas related to agriculture, including forests and related resources; plant production and protection; animal production and protection; conservation of natural resources; food science and nutrition; rural and community development; aquaculture; biofuels and biobased products, and small and mid-size farms.
“We are excited about the myriad of innovations that our Lab2Launch cohort members are developing as scientific solutions to important problems and opportunities in agriculture. Each solution is unique, and meets the high bar of providing potential significant public benefits,” said Karen Bergh, innovation specialist at ASBTDC and one of the accelerator facilitators.
“We are leading them through topic selection—to help match their solution to problems the government is seeking to address—and advising on budget preparation, technical writing and editing techniques, market research options, and more, as these entrepreneurs take their respective journeys to explore USDA SBIR Phase I funding.”
Seed Funding Produces Solutions for Rural America
Phase I awards, Bergh added, can range from $125,000–$175,000 and last for eight months. The SBIR/STTR program’s objective is to determine if ideas have scientific feasibility and commercial potential.
USDA SBIR awards go to small businesses to develop new technologies that address challenges in rural America. To further their research or continue developing their innovation, many of the businesses work in partnership with academic institutions, labs, or research organizations.
“We are committed to supporting these innovators every step of the way, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to transform their groundbreaking ideas into viable commercial products,” said Bergh. “The collaborations between small businesses and academic institutions are particularly inspiring, as they harness the power of collective expertise to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in rural America.”
Cohort Members
The following Arkansas companies comprise this year’s Lab2Launch Accelerator cohort:
- Mindful Farmer
- Nutrish by NQ
- SMART Reproduction
- NSpired Engineering
- Rokee, Inc.
- Integral Sip Frames
- We Have Solutions
- Performance Tax Group
- NuShores Biosciences
- Food Positive
- Kairos Research
- Atomic Soil
The L2L Accelerator is made possible through Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
