Tallwave expands competition to include Health IT

Tallwave today announced it is opening applications in its latest High Tide(TM) competition to Healthcare IT entrepreneurs from across the country. These entrepreneurs will join peers applying for the program in the previously announced focus on innovations in Ed Tech. In addition, Tallwave has reserved four to six slots for Arizona-only IT companies regardless of the industry sector they hail from. The deadline for submission is March 31, 2014 and can be completed online at www.tallwavehightide.com .Continue reading

Opportunity Alert – AZ Fast Grants 2014

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The AZ Fast Grant competition

will open on Monday, March 10!

 

 

This competitive grant enables Arizona-based technology companies to initiate the commercialization process. Total funds available for this grant round are $175,000.

 

Maximum awards of $5,000 and $20,000 will enable companies to accomplish one of four scopes of work.

 

  1. SBIR/STTR Proposal Development (Maximum award $5,000)
  • Awardees will be automatically enrolled in our PIII Playbook training class with 23 hours of training and coaching. Cost per company to participate is $1,500. This will be paid from the AZ Fast Grant award. Services will be provided by consultants under contract with ACA.
  • We are providing an additional $3,500 to the awardee for SBIT/STTR proposal writing assistance. The awardee may hire any professional consultant to assist them.

 

  1. Commercialization Feasibility Study (Maximum award $5,000)  The awardee may hire any professional consultant to assist them.
  • Identify show stoppers to commercialization before resources are spent commercializing a technology that is unlikely to succeed.

 

  1. Other Acceptable Means of Technology Commercialization Assistance (Maximum award $5,000) The awardee may hire any professional consultant to assist them.
  • Technology Review – An expert review of the technology under development to determine if it already exists, is a good candidate for intellectual property protection and is likely to find an attractive market.
  • Requests for other acceptable means of technology commercialization assistance will be considered.

 

  1. Innovation in Manufacturing (Maximum award $20,000)
  • This award provides seed monies for the creation and proof of concept testing of disruptive tools and technologies to Arizona manufacturing firms in targeted business sectors.
  • Commercialization of these tools and technologies is our top goal.
  • Solution providers, i.e. – consultants, training firms, engineering and technology companies, and educational institutions, are required to team with manufacturers to submit proposals.
  • Each proposer must identify a teaming arrangement with Arizona manufacturers. Preference will be given to proposers teaming with multiple manufacturing partners.
  • Applicants and their manufacturing partners must leverage the award funds with a partial match of the requested award amount.
  • Applicants must demonstrate a 50% match (cash and in-kind) of the requested award amount. Preference will be given to applicants with higher cash to in-kind ratio.
  • Manufacturing partners must provide a total award match of at least 25% cash and/or in-kind, i.e. – labor, materials, machine time, plant overhead, etc. Preference will be given to applicants with higher industry in-kind contributions.
  • Match requirements for a theoretical award might look like:

 

Innovation in Manufacturing Award          $20,000

Proposer Match (50%)                            $10,000

Sub Total                                   $30,000

Total of Manufacturing Partners’ Match (25%)  $7,500

Total Grant Value                                          $37,500

 

Important Details

  • Applications must be completed on-line via the link on the AZ Fast Grant webpage .  
  • Closes on April 14 @ 5pm MST.
  • Awards will be announced in June.

NCI SBIR Direct to Phase II Pilot Program

Direct to Phase II Pilot Program is here!
Jump Into New Funding Opportunities Now

Finding funding to continue your innovative cancer research can be difficult. Luckily, there’s some good news.

The National Cancer Institute Small Business Innovation Research (NCI SBIR) Development Center is implementing the SBIR Direct to Phase II Pilot solicitation, PAR-14-088, per the 2011 SBIR & STTR Reauthorization Act, allowing applicants that have demonstrated the R&D and technical merit characteristic of a Phase I (R43) SBIR project to bypass Phase I and apply directly for SBIR Phase II grants.

We encourage you to review the opportunity below and consider applying.

 


Direct Phase II Pilot Program

The NCI SBIR Development Center welcomes qualified applicants to participate in the newly authorized Direct-to-Phase II SBIR grant mechanism. This program applies to SBIR only, NOT STTR.This program is designed to expand opportunities for small business concerns and accelerate the pace of technology development and commercialization. Applicants that have demonstrated the R&D and technical merit characteristic of a Phase 1 (R43) SBIR project are encouraged to apply.

Standard deadlines apply. The next application receipt date is April 5, 2014, 5:00PM local time.

 


NIH SBIR and STTR applicants may now switch programs at Phase II or Phase IIB

  • Applicants may now switch between SBIR & STTR Programs. Those who previously were funded under an STTR Phase I award are now eligible to apply for an SBIR Phase II award and vice versa.
  • Those who previously were funded under an STTR Phase II award are now eligible to apply for an SBIR Phase IIB award and vice versa.

View the Application Guide for NIH and Other PHS Agencies for more information on preparing and submitting SBIR & STTR applications.

 


Recently Released
The SBIR Phase IIB Bridge Award RFA is now live. Please apply by April 21, 2014, 5:00PM local time.

How to Apply
For resources and examples of SBIR grant applications and contract proposals, please visit http://sbir.cancer.gov/resource/apply/.

Please visit http://sbir.cancer.gov/ to learn more about the NCI SBIR & STTR Programs.

The SBIR & STTR Programs are NCI’s engine of innovation for developing and commercializing novel technologies and products to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. The SBIR & STTR Programs are government set-aside programs for domestic small businesses to engage in research and development that has the potential for commercialization and public benefit.

Sign up to receive updates about
SBIR & STTR funding opportunities at
sbir.cancer.gov

 

 

Venture Madness – a new kind of startup battle – apply today

Venture Madness – a new kind of startup battle – applications open today

Venture Madness, presented by Invest Southwest in partnership with Arizona Commerce Authority, is a competition where 64 startups from around the southwest will go head-to-head and compete for a portion of the $25,000 prize.

For the last 20 years, Invest Southwest, has been the premier capital conference in the region connecting investors with ventures and has had an “investment-centric focus” format, until this year. The event has gone through a serious transformation by responding to the needs of its audience and embracing the vibrancy of the startup community, starting with Venture Madness.

How Venture Madness works: Think of it as the “Battle of the Brackets” where startups duel it out bracket-style for the top slot. Thirty-two (of 64) bracket spots will be awarded to past participants from the Arizona Innovation Challenge (AIC); the remaining 32 spots will be filled through open enrollment. Startups from the southwest can apply today, December 6, 2013, through January 3, 2014.

Once the 64 ventures are established, there will be two online elimination rounds and 16 companies will advance to the live-demo rounds before a panel of judges on March 5-7, at Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale.

Jonathan Ariano, chairman of Invest Southwest and Partner with Osborn Maledon, explains the new format and vibe, “Before, we used to have 12-14 companies go through a mentoring process to produce a ten minute presentation, with no Q&A, nor a contest-it was more of an investment-centric conference. When we went through the revamping process, we started thinking like a startup and asked ourselves ‘who is our customer?’ and spent months brainstorming on what that looked like. What we realized is that there are great programs and incubators that help entrepreneurs, but what was missing was the connective tissue…and that’s our job. We will be the connection to the investor community and showcasing what the Southwest has to offer-and the best way we can do that is Venture Madness.”

As part of the Venture Madness event, the organizers have weaved in more investor and startup connection opportunities including lunch-n-learns, cocktail parties and a Spring Training outing.

“We are really excited about this new format,” said Ariano. “There are a lot of great companies in the Southwest and the level of quality just keeps going up.”

Hey startups! Open enrollment starts now! Companies interested in participation must complete the online application, as well as create and submit a 90-second elevator pitch video. Applications and more information for Venture Madness, including detailed instructions, are available online at http://VentureMadness.com.

Venture Madness timeline:

  • December 6, 2013: Startup application opens
  • December 16, 2013: Event tickets available for purchase online
  • January 3, 2014: Startup applications close
  • February 3 – 14, 2014: First online elimination round with a 64 company bracket
  • February 17 – 24, 2014: Second online elimination round with a 32 company bracket
  • February 24, 2014: 16 companies to pitch live announced
  • March 5, 2014: Venture Madness 2014 kicks off with an evening cocktail reception at Talking Stick Resort
  • March 6, 2014: Third elimination round, 16 companies to pitch live
  • March 7, 2014: Elimination rounds four – six; Venture Madness Champion announced

Source:  http://aztechbeat.com/2013/12/venture-madness-new-kind-of-startup-battle-applications-open-today/