RALEIGH – Eva Garland Consulting (EGC) and the First Flight Venture Center have each been awarded $50,000 as part of the nationwide Growth Accelerator Fund competition.
First Flight, a high-science, high-impact science and technology incubator located in the heart of RTP, is now a four-time winner of the contest. EGC, meanwhile, is making its debut. Founded in 2013, it supports scientists and entrepreneurs in advancing development of their innovative technologies.
They are the only winners from North Carolina. Both are considered to be among “the nation’s most innovative and promising small business accelerators and incubators,” said the U.S. Small Business Administration, which runs the contest.
Eva Garland in a photo from her firm’s YouTube channel
The 2019 cohort includes 60 organizations from 39 states that support high-tech entrepreneurs who are potential Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant applicants.
SBIR/STTR grants are the nation’s largest source of early stage non-dilutive funding for start-ups and small businesses developing innovative technologies.
First Flight said it would use the funds towards supporting “economically and socially disadvantaged businesses” in applying for Defense (DoD) SBIR/STTR funding.
“This project is an extension of First Flight’s award-winning “LiftOff” program that helps companies submit competitive grants and win SBIR/STTR funding,” the firm said in its release.
Added First Flight Board Chair Mary Musacchia: “The Board is excited to build on the success of our LiftOff program that has enabled dozens of NC companies to access expert assistance in developing and implementing roadmaps to secure over $15.5 million in critical non-dilutive SBIR/STTR funding since 2016. The new award will expand First Flight’s commitment to help early stage science-focused companies secure funding from the DoD, which provides $2 billion of SBIR/STTR funding each year.”
Meanwhile, EGC’s Growth Accelerator Fund project will deliver a managed online space where entrepreneurs located in historically underrepresented areas can access resources to improve their chances of preparing competitive SBIR/STTR proposals.
