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 Open Source

OPOS

Grant in 2021
OPOS operates a patient monitoring and opioid prescriber compliance platform designed to assist primary care and pain specialists across various practice settings. The company focuses on ensuring that opioid prescribers adhere to guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state authorities, and medical boards. By providing documented evidence of compliance, along with clinical decision support, OPOS enables healthcare providers to enhance patient outcomes and assess individual and collective risks associated with patients, prescribers, and practices. Their services not only promote regulatory compliance but also aim to reduce prescribing risks and administrative overhead, thus generating revenue through improved operational efficiency in opioid treatment.

DeepBits

Grant in 2021
Google was founded to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Inspired by Google, we, a team with decades of experiences on cybersecurity, started DeepBits, to provide indexing and searching for the world’s binary code. We are focused on organizing the world’s binary code to provide cybersecurity solutions for various devices. Backed up by over a decade multimillion dollars research sponsored by National Science Foundation and Department of Defense, we are now able to identify vulnerabilities in your computer, mobile phones, and IoT devices in a split of second, and we are able to classify malware and trace back to the source despite that they often try to transform themselves and hide their identities. Wanna know more details? Check out our company - DeepBits Technology.

Ossillate

Grant in 2021
Ossillate is a security testing platform focused on open-source software, founded in 2020 and based in Auburn, Alabama. The company's platform assists developers in evaluating and managing cybersecurity and operational risks associated with open-source dependencies in their software supply chain. By providing tools for identifying malicious, vulnerable, and unwanted code, Ossillate enables developers to safely adopt pre-vetted third-party code, thereby facilitating the creation of secure digital products and services.

Ostiio

Grant in 2021
Ostiio develops a novel approach to correct skeletal deformities and deficiencies. It is developing a novel distractor that can be fully buried under the patient's skin, and expanded wirelessly and with precision. It is utilizing a fully implantable, magnetically driven, bony distraction device. Ostiio is a Penn Center for Innovation company.

Oscilloscape, LLC

Grant in 2020
Oscilloscape, LLC is a technology company based in Hartford, Connecticut, that specializes in the analysis of audio and other time-based signals, including music and speech. Founded in 2016, the company has developed a platform that simulates networks of active elements resembling small populations of neurons in the brain, utilizing nonlinear dynamical systems. Its offerings include the Synchrony LEDS, which synchronizes oscillations to music and detects beats in real time, and the GrFNN API, a software library designed for simulating signal processing, pattern recognition, and auditory system learning. Formerly known as Circular Logic, LLC, Oscilloscape focuses on enhancing rhythmic intelligence for human interaction.

Subspace Labs

Grant in 2019
Subspace Labs is building a decentralized cloud database stored on end-user devices. Like Google Firebase, but decentralized and stored across people's phones, tablets, and computers. Their mission is to make it easy for developers to build decentralized apps so that users can own their data, and the Internet can work without having to rely on servers, data centers, and tech monopolies.

Zulip

Grant in 2018
Prior to its acquisition, Zulip had already developed a suite of applications for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, which allowed users to share both public and private messages with their co-workers. Public messages would appear in “streams” related to the topic at hand, like “Design,” “Sales,” “Support,” and more, for example.

OpenSpace

Grant in 2018
OpenSpace offers photo documentation which is automatically pinned to plan location with AI. It specializes in computer vision and construction. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

DeepBits

Grant in 2017
Google was founded to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Inspired by Google, we, a team with decades of experiences on cybersecurity, started DeepBits, to provide indexing and searching for the world’s binary code. We are focused on organizing the world’s binary code to provide cybersecurity solutions for various devices. Backed up by over a decade multimillion dollars research sponsored by National Science Foundation and Department of Defense, we are now able to identify vulnerabilities in your computer, mobile phones, and IoT devices in a split of second, and we are able to classify malware and trace back to the source despite that they often try to transform themselves and hide their identities. Wanna know more details? Check out our company - DeepBits Technology.

Orange Maker

Grant in 2017
Orange Maker, LLC is a 3D printing technology company based in Thousand Oaks, California, that specializes in developing advanced 3D printing systems and user-friendly software. Founded in 2014 by Doug Farber and Kurtis Dudley, the company has created the Helios One, a high-resolution 3D printing system utilizing heliolithography technology. Orange Maker focuses on enabling professional designers and engineers to realize their visions by providing innovative solutions that support various applications, including aerospace, architecture, automotive, biotech, and medical industries. The company’s advanced technology allows for flexible manufacturing with a range of compatible materials and smooth surface finishes, facilitating seamless integration between digital designs and physical products. Orange Maker is committed to fostering a collaborative culture within the 3D printing community, empowering users to imagine and create without limitations.

OpenSpace

Seed Round in 2017
OpenSpace offers photo documentation which is automatically pinned to plan location with AI. It specializes in computer vision and construction. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

ViSOAR

Grant in 2017
ViSOAR provides multidimensional data arrays for platform-independent collaborative analytics and visualization. The ViSOAR Explorer software solutions, powered by ViSUS, were designed with the primary philosophy that massive data visualization does not require specialized hardware or infrastructure. To put it another way, a large data visualization environment can be designed to be lightweight, highly scalable, and run on a variety of platforms or hardware.

Transparent

Grant in 2017
Transparent is a developer of neural stimulation, mental training and biofeedback software. The Transparent Corporation is an international collective of researchers, analysts, engineers and enthusiasts who have been brought together by their common interest in brainwave entrainment, biofeedback, psychology and hypnosis. Transparent creates software to meet mental health goals, based on current research and developments in the field of brainwave entrainment and biofeedback.

OpenSpace

Grant in 2017
OpenSpace offers photo documentation which is automatically pinned to plan location with AI. It specializes in computer vision and construction. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

Zulip

Grant in 2017
Prior to its acquisition, Zulip had already developed a suite of applications for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, which allowed users to share both public and private messages with their co-workers. Public messages would appear in “streams” related to the topic at hand, like “Design,” “Sales,” “Support,” and more, for example.

Otherlab

Grant in 2016
Otherlab is a technology company based in San Francisco, California, founded by Saul Griffith in 2009. It operates as a research innovation lab focused on developing solutions in renewable energy and robotics. The company specializes in advanced manufacturing, digital fabrication, adaptive textiles, and robotic manufacturing tools, as well as computational design tools. Otherlab nurtures projects through the initial research and development phase, facilitating the transition of these innovations into independently operating companies. Its work emphasizes the integration of clean energy technologies and automation, aiming to create impactful advancements in various industries.

Arogi, Inc.

Angel Round in 2016
Arogi builds open source software for developers to optimize site location, routing, and logistics. Integrating geospatial analyses and artificial intelligence, Arogi tools enable organizations to save time, reduce costs, and increase market share.

ViSOAR

Grant in 2015
ViSOAR provides multidimensional data arrays for platform-independent collaborative analytics and visualization. The ViSOAR Explorer software solutions, powered by ViSUS, were designed with the primary philosophy that massive data visualization does not require specialized hardware or infrastructure. To put it another way, a large data visualization environment can be designed to be lightweight, highly scalable, and run on a variety of platforms or hardware.
The Center for Open Science (COS) is a non-profit startup building free tools for open scientific practices, including its flagship infrastructure The Open Science Framework (osf.io).
The Center for Open Science (COS) is a non-profit startup building free tools for open scientific practices, including its flagship infrastructure The Open Science Framework (osf.io).

SecondWrite

Grant in 2015
SecondWrite LLC specializes in creating automated malware analysis solutions aimed at detecting advanced persistent threats (APTs), targeted attacks, and zero-day evasions. The company's flagship product, the SecondWrite Sandbox, is designed to identify evasive malware, capture indicators of compromise (IOCs), and process various file types while integrating seamlessly with existing security systems. Founded in 2010 and based in College Park, Maryland, SecondWrite serves a diverse clientele that includes network security providers, endpoint security firms, security operations centers (SOCs) at enterprises, managed security service providers (MSSPs), incident response teams, and threat intelligence vendors. The company's technology, developed in collaboration with university partners, employs a patent-pending approach that reveals hidden paths in malware and executes them to ensure comprehensive code coverage.
The Center for Open Science (COS) is a non-profit startup building free tools for open scientific practices, including its flagship infrastructure The Open Science Framework (osf.io).

Aventusoft

Grant in 2015
AventuSoft is a pioneer in biologically inspired solutions! Our mission, is to continuously enhance the efficiency and function of people through advanced biologically inspired engineering. The human auditory system is an existence proof for accurate speech processing and has solved the principal complexities that currently plague speech processing solutions: multiple sources, noisy environments, and mismatched test/train data. Solutions by AventuSoft, are developed by applying in-depth knowledge of psychoacoustics, biological signals, and novel signal processing techniques to leverage the benefits seen in human system.

AppScale Systems

Grant in 2015
AppScale is a managed hybrid cloud infrastructure software that emulates the core AWS APIs. It enables customers to run AWS workloads on AppScale ATS in a service provider data center or on-premises without any code modification or rewriting. AppScale customers are enterprises, government agencies and contractors, and 3rd party service providers. Typical use cases include Dev/Test on-ramp to AWS, repatriation off-ramp from AWS public cloud for competitive or cost reasons, and regulated industries with strict data control requirements.

SecondWrite

Grant in 2014
SecondWrite LLC specializes in creating automated malware analysis solutions aimed at detecting advanced persistent threats (APTs), targeted attacks, and zero-day evasions. The company's flagship product, the SecondWrite Sandbox, is designed to identify evasive malware, capture indicators of compromise (IOCs), and process various file types while integrating seamlessly with existing security systems. Founded in 2010 and based in College Park, Maryland, SecondWrite serves a diverse clientele that includes network security providers, endpoint security firms, security operations centers (SOCs) at enterprises, managed security service providers (MSSPs), incident response teams, and threat intelligence vendors. The company's technology, developed in collaboration with university partners, employs a patent-pending approach that reveals hidden paths in malware and executes them to ensure comprehensive code coverage.

Otherlab

Grant in 2014
Otherlab is a technology company based in San Francisco, California, founded by Saul Griffith in 2009. It operates as a research innovation lab focused on developing solutions in renewable energy and robotics. The company specializes in advanced manufacturing, digital fabrication, adaptive textiles, and robotic manufacturing tools, as well as computational design tools. Otherlab nurtures projects through the initial research and development phase, facilitating the transition of these innovations into independently operating companies. Its work emphasizes the integration of clean energy technologies and automation, aiming to create impactful advancements in various industries.

AppScale Systems

Grant in 2013
AppScale is a managed hybrid cloud infrastructure software that emulates the core AWS APIs. It enables customers to run AWS workloads on AppScale ATS in a service provider data center or on-premises without any code modification or rewriting. AppScale customers are enterprises, government agencies and contractors, and 3rd party service providers. Typical use cases include Dev/Test on-ramp to AWS, repatriation off-ramp from AWS public cloud for competitive or cost reasons, and regulated industries with strict data control requirements.

Aventusoft

Grant in 2013
AventuSoft is a pioneer in biologically inspired solutions! Our mission, is to continuously enhance the efficiency and function of people through advanced biologically inspired engineering. The human auditory system is an existence proof for accurate speech processing and has solved the principal complexities that currently plague speech processing solutions: multiple sources, noisy environments, and mismatched test/train data. Solutions by AventuSoft, are developed by applying in-depth knowledge of psychoacoustics, biological signals, and novel signal processing techniques to leverage the benefits seen in human system.

SecondWrite

Grant in 2013
SecondWrite LLC specializes in creating automated malware analysis solutions aimed at detecting advanced persistent threats (APTs), targeted attacks, and zero-day evasions. The company's flagship product, the SecondWrite Sandbox, is designed to identify evasive malware, capture indicators of compromise (IOCs), and process various file types while integrating seamlessly with existing security systems. Founded in 2010 and based in College Park, Maryland, SecondWrite serves a diverse clientele that includes network security providers, endpoint security firms, security operations centers (SOCs) at enterprises, managed security service providers (MSSPs), incident response teams, and threat intelligence vendors. The company's technology, developed in collaboration with university partners, employs a patent-pending approach that reveals hidden paths in malware and executes them to ensure comprehensive code coverage.

Willow Garage

Grant in 2013
Willow Garage develops hardware and open source software for personal robotics applications. The company is composed of experts in robot design, control, perception, and machine learning, with both a strong theoretical background and a demonstrated drive to produce practical systems. Willow sees personal robots as the next paradigm-shifting personal productivity tool. By investing in open source and open platform adoption models, it aims to lay the groundwork for the use of personal robotics applications in everyday life. Willow Garage was established in 2006 and is based in Menlo Park, California.

Azavea

Grant in 2012
Azavea believes in the power of geospatial technology to improve communities and the planet. From the simple to the complex, the firm’s talented staff brings together the strengths of both open source and commercial tools to build solutions that support better decision-making through the access and visualization of geographic data. Azavea is a certified B Corporation, a commercial enterprise that operates with a social mission. Their mission is to apply geospatial technology for positive civic, social, and environmental impact and to advance the state-of-the-art through research. Azavea provides a range of GIS services that include: * Custom web and mobile software development * User experience (UX) design * Data analysis, visualization, and modeling * Big geospatial data processing * Research and development * Civic SaaS solutions Azavea has designed and implemented geographic data applications for multiple domains, including urban ecosystems, water, infrastructure planning, economic development, public transit, elections, public safety, energy, climate change, and cultural resources management. The firm has particular expertise working with the Python, Django, .Net, Java, Apache Spark, and Scala frameworks, as well as Esri ArcGIS, PostGIS, CARTO, Google Maps, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap, and Amazon Web Services.

Librede

Grant in 2012
Librede, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in San Diego, California, focused on developing yeast-based cannabinoid production and drug discovery technologies. Established in 2008, the company aims to improve quality of life through innovative and sustainable solutions. Librede has created the world's first biosynthetic production platform aimed at the endocannabinoid system, enabling the production of therapeutic compounds derived from cannabinoids and terpenes found in the cannabis plant. This technology facilitates both early-stage drug discovery and large-scale commercial production, allowing researchers to leverage its capabilities for therapeutic advancements. As of January 2020, Librede operates as a subsidiary of Lygos, Inc.

CohortFS

Grant in 2012
CohortFS is an Open Source distributed software-defined storage platform that combines - unified file, block and object storage based on Ceph storage protocols re-architected for workload performance, isolation, and multi-tenancy - novel pNFS (parallel NFS) technology for metadata scalability and flexible data placement CohortFS extends the Ceph cluster model with explicit data sets (volumes) supporting discrete customer data paths and workloads in a single cluster. CohortFS client-side striping and erasure coding and streamlined CohortFS OSD open new workload possibilities for Ceph-style storage deployments. CohortFS extends traditional pNFS layout technology to fully expose the data placement flexibility of leading-edge storage architectures such as Ceph. The CohortFS Placement layout delivers new algorithmic placement strategies (e.g., CRUSH, client-side striping and erasure coding) directly to clients. Metastripe layouts (originally proposed by Mike Eisler) continue the evolution of pNFS to metadata, to support scale out filesystem namespaces, scaling for huge numbers of clients, and scalable directory operations through directory striping. The CohortFS team are proud collaborators with CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives), IBM, Panasas, Open-pNFS, and others around the world on the open source Ganesha NFSv4 project, and committed to playing an engaged and creative role in Ceph development community as our project matures. CohortFS, LLC has been funded by NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and Phase II (Project Abstract) NSF TECP and and Phase IIB grants, as well as Michigan Emerging Technology Fund.
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