National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF), established in 1950 and located in Alexandria, Virginia, is an independent federal agency dedicated to advancing fundamental research and education across all scientific and engineering disciplines. With an annual budget of approximately $7.8 billion, the NSF operates America's Seed Fund, which allocates nearly $200 million each year to support startups and small businesses through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This initiative provides non-dilutive funding of up to $1.5 million to assist in research and development efforts, thereby facilitating the transformation of scientific discoveries into commercially viable products and services. By helping to de-risk technology, the NSF plays a crucial role in fostering innovation and addressing societal challenges through scientific advancements.

James Donlon

Program Director

Sean L. Jones

Assistant Director for Mathematical and Physical Sciences

Sethuraman Panchanathan

Director

Ben Schrag Ph.D

Program Director and Policy Liaison, SBIR / STTR

Past deals in Design

OT App Design

Grant in 2022
OT App Design specializes in developing machine learning-based assessment tools aimed at evaluating handwriting proficiency and cognitive skills in students, particularly those in grade six. The company's innovative screening tool utilizes advanced algorithms to identify potential motor and cognitive delays, providing educators and parents with valuable insights into individual student needs. By focusing on the early detection of deficits, OT App Design enhances the educational experience, enabling targeted interventions that support the development of essential skills. This research and development initiative is dedicated to improving the assessment practices within educational settings, ultimately fostering better outcomes for students.

Strange Development

Grant in 2021
At Strange Development we pride ourselves on the ability to provide CAD Design Services, Engineering, and Manufacturing all in house. We will develop, design, and provide you with all the necessary hardware needed to get your project up and running. Our core services, Prototype & Limited Production Manufacturing, CAD Design, Engineering Consulting, and Engine Testing can be custom tailored to fit your individual project needs.

Sugarcube Systems

Grant in 2021
Developer of an online CAD tool intended to optimizes designs. The company's online CAD tool is accurate and enables self calibration, the performance control technology also enables devices to change their effective mass, damping, and stiffness on demand enabling students, researchers, and startups to facilitate a MEMS community of shared designs and compact models.

Construkts

Grant in 2021
CONSTRUKTS is a mixed-reality platform combining physical block constructions with the power of learner-focused challenges and real-time model analysis. CONSTRUKTS is a hands-on learning platform that merges smart blocks constructions with a virtual 3D model of the construction to strengthen spatial thinking, STEM learning, and creativity.CONSTRUKTS is hardware to software solution for connecting IoT smart blocks to an artificial intelligence knowledge engine to augment hands-on learning with real-time generated STEM learning challenges. We believe that creativity is a way to empower learners to realize their potential as future innovators. We believe it is the responsibility of technology innovators to challenge how advanced technologies are integrated into our everyday lives.

DeepSim

Grant in 2021
DeepSim develops electronic design automation technology to help chip designers speed up design and verification. The company was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
Biomimicry Design Alliance is a consulting organization that aims to make biomimicry more accessible to the architecture community. The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Denver, Colorado.

Strange Development

Grant in 2019
At Strange Development we pride ourselves on the ability to provide CAD Design Services, Engineering, and Manufacturing all in house. We will develop, design, and provide you with all the necessary hardware needed to get your project up and running. Our core services, Prototype & Limited Production Manufacturing, CAD Design, Engineering Consulting, and Engine Testing can be custom tailored to fit your individual project needs.

Shark Wheel

Grant in 2019
David Patrick discovered a shape that has proven to be a better shaped wheel for any application. Who said the best wheel has to be round?

ForgeWorks

Grant in 2019
ForgeWorks, founded in 2015 and based in Evanston, Illinois, specializes in a digital platform aimed at assisting civic innovators in addressing real-world challenges. The company's platform integrates human-centered design, educational design research, and agile software development, allowing users to rapidly develop innovative solutions. By leveraging advanced academic insights and user research, ForgeWorks empowers civic innovators to create effective systems tailored to community needs.

Shark Wheel

Grant in 2017
David Patrick discovered a shape that has proven to be a better shaped wheel for any application. Who said the best wheel has to be round?

Thunkable

Grant in 2017
From MIT's App Inventor and YCombinator's W2016 batch, Thunkable allows anyone to build powerful native apps. With Thunkable, it's simple to design, and simple to code-- simply drag and drop to create fast, native, reliable apps. You don't need to download large development suites, command-line kits, or simulators. You can use the many built-in app templates as they are, or make changes. Make your changes online and see them on your device instantly with the Thunkable mobile app. Upload your apps directly to the Play Store or send them to friends!

Innoblative Designs

Grant in 2017
Innoblative Designs, Inc. is a medical device company based in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 2013, the company specializes in developing advanced electrosurgical devices, particularly focusing on radiofrequency ablation technology. One of its key innovations is the Sira™ device, a saline-assisted intraoperative radiofrequency ablation tool that employs bipolar current to create a controlled zone of ablation. Sira's unique design, featuring a saline microinfusion system, enhances contact with target tissue and is compatible with standard electrosurgical generators already utilized in operating rooms. This technology offers surgeons a new, effective option for intraoperative ablation of soft tissue, promoting ease of use and adoption in surgical practices.

PatentDive

Grant in 2017
PatentDive builds tools for assisted invention disclosure and rapid patent drafting. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the company's visual interface for patent drafting enables users to break down their big ideas and transform them into patent applications. The application delivers gamified patent education which enables users to make smart decisions as they use the application. The software is for use by patent professionals (lawyers and patent agents), inventors, entrepreneurs, corporate innovation departments, in house patent counsel, technology transfer offices, schools, and others.

Innoblative Designs

Grant in 2016
Innoblative Designs, Inc. is a medical device company based in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional office in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 2013, the company specializes in developing advanced electrosurgical devices, particularly focusing on radiofrequency ablation technology. One of its key innovations is the Sira™ device, a saline-assisted intraoperative radiofrequency ablation tool that employs bipolar current to create a controlled zone of ablation. Sira's unique design, featuring a saline microinfusion system, enhances contact with target tissue and is compatible with standard electrosurgical generators already utilized in operating rooms. This technology offers surgeons a new, effective option for intraoperative ablation of soft tissue, promoting ease of use and adoption in surgical practices.

Construkts

Seed Round in 2015
CONSTRUKTS is a mixed-reality platform combining physical block constructions with the power of learner-focused challenges and real-time model analysis. CONSTRUKTS is a hands-on learning platform that merges smart blocks constructions with a virtual 3D model of the construction to strengthen spatial thinking, STEM learning, and creativity.CONSTRUKTS is hardware to software solution for connecting IoT smart blocks to an artificial intelligence knowledge engine to augment hands-on learning with real-time generated STEM learning challenges. We believe that creativity is a way to empower learners to realize their potential as future innovators. We believe it is the responsibility of technology innovators to challenge how advanced technologies are integrated into our everyday lives.

PatentDive

Grant in 2015
PatentDive builds tools for assisted invention disclosure and rapid patent drafting. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the company's visual interface for patent drafting enables users to break down their big ideas and transform them into patent applications. The application delivers gamified patent education which enables users to make smart decisions as they use the application. The software is for use by patent professionals (lawyers and patent agents), inventors, entrepreneurs, corporate innovation departments, in house patent counsel, technology transfer offices, schools, and others.

Sugarcube Systems

Grant in 2014
Developer of an online CAD tool intended to optimizes designs. The company's online CAD tool is accurate and enables self calibration, the performance control technology also enables devices to change their effective mass, damping, and stiffness on demand enabling students, researchers, and startups to facilitate a MEMS community of shared designs and compact models.

Blank Slate Systems

Grant in 2014
Blank Slate Systems, Inc. is a company based in Boulder, Colorado, that specializes in developing design tools and cloud-based collaboration solutions. Founded in 2012, Blank Slate Systems focuses on providing a sketch design tool that integrates with a cloud repository, allowing users to enhance and expedite the creation process. The company's offerings are aimed at design professionals and businesses, facilitating faster prototyping and manufacturing.

Construkts

Seed Round in 2014
CONSTRUKTS is a mixed-reality platform combining physical block constructions with the power of learner-focused challenges and real-time model analysis. CONSTRUKTS is a hands-on learning platform that merges smart blocks constructions with a virtual 3D model of the construction to strengthen spatial thinking, STEM learning, and creativity.CONSTRUKTS is hardware to software solution for connecting IoT smart blocks to an artificial intelligence knowledge engine to augment hands-on learning with real-time generated STEM learning challenges. We believe that creativity is a way to empower learners to realize their potential as future innovators. We believe it is the responsibility of technology innovators to challenge how advanced technologies are integrated into our everyday lives.

Dynamic Ideas

Grant in 2013
Dynamic Ideas’ mission is to publish scientific books that have quality and originality in the areas of Applied Mathematics, Operations.
Reveal Design Automation, Inc. is a start-up based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in electronic design automation (EDA) software tools aimed at enhancing the formal verification of intricate semiconductor chip designs. Founded in 2009, the company offers Reveal-AV, a product that employs architectural equivalence methodology to ensure comprehensive design verification of various core types, including CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, and microcontroller RTL against the instruction set architecture (ISA) specifications. Reveal's automated solutions significantly streamline the verification process, enabling tasks that typically take days with other methods to be completed in hours. This efficiency can lead to substantial cost savings for chip designers, reducing verification expenses and accelerating time-to-market, while also bolstering confidence in the accuracy and reliability of chip designs.

Dynamic Ideas

Grant in 2012
Dynamic Ideas is a research and development group provide modelling of real world problems. Dynamic Ideas firm focusing on applications in finance, supply-chain management, revenue management, routing, software, healthcare, and education.
Reveal Design Automation, Inc. is a start-up based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, specializing in electronic design automation (EDA) software tools aimed at enhancing the formal verification of intricate semiconductor chip designs. Founded in 2009, the company offers Reveal-AV, a product that employs architectural equivalence methodology to ensure comprehensive design verification of various core types, including CPU, MPU, DSP, GPU, and microcontroller RTL against the instruction set architecture (ISA) specifications. Reveal's automated solutions significantly streamline the verification process, enabling tasks that typically take days with other methods to be completed in hours. This efficiency can lead to substantial cost savings for chip designers, reducing verification expenses and accelerating time-to-market, while also bolstering confidence in the accuracy and reliability of chip designs.

Construkts

Grant in 2008
CONSTRUKTS is a mixed-reality platform combining physical block constructions with the power of learner-focused challenges and real-time model analysis. CONSTRUKTS is a hands-on learning platform that merges smart blocks constructions with a virtual 3D model of the construction to strengthen spatial thinking, STEM learning, and creativity.CONSTRUKTS is hardware to software solution for connecting IoT smart blocks to an artificial intelligence knowledge engine to augment hands-on learning with real-time generated STEM learning challenges. We believe that creativity is a way to empower learners to realize their potential as future innovators. We believe it is the responsibility of technology innovators to challenge how advanced technologies are integrated into our everyday lives.
Spot something off? Help us improve by flagging any incorrect or outdated information. Just email us at support@teaserclub.com. Your feedback is most welcome.