SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Partnership

SBA Announces Over $5 million in Awards to 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Stage Two Winners

 

Awards fund partnerships to promote equitable access to resources and support for startups and growing

STEM and R&D focused small businesses

 

WASHINGTON– Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Stage Two Accelerate winners. Thirty-five award-winning accelerator partnerships will receive $150,000 each to foster a thriving national  innovation ecosystem that advances equitable investment in innovative startups and high growth small businesses.

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SBA is excited to continue growing the network of partner organizations that connect a broad range of communities with the national innovation ecosystem through these new Growth Accelerator partnerships,” said Administrator Guzman. “As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s investments in America, our high growth small businesses and innovative startups will have access to resources and networks to speed their launch, growth, and scale, in critical technology areas across America.”  

 

In 2023, SBA introduced a new two-stage format for the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. In May, Stage One Catalyze winners received $50,000 to build capacity and connections across the U.S. innovation ecosystem focused on themes of National Security & Global Competitiveness, Domestic Manufacturing and Production, Climate and Renewable Energy, and Underserved Communities. Forty Stage One prizes were awarded to organizations from 30 states and territories, including D.C. and Puerto Rico, and were invited to apply for Stage Two of the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition.  Stage Two awarded $150,000 to ecosystem partnerships led by Stage One winners to promote equitable access to resources and accelerate support high-growth STEM and R&D- focused small businesses. 

 

“The new Growth Accelerator partnerships strengthen networks and collaboration among local and national entrepreneurial support organizations committed to enhancing the chance of success for science and technology driven companies to turn their innovations into impact,” said SBA Associate Administrator for Investment and Innovation Bailey DeVries. “We’re thrilled to bring in new partners who have not previously been engaged in the innovation ecosystem.”  

Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Stage Two Winners
Learn more about each Growth Accelerator Fund Competition partnership in the public directory: https://bit.ly/GAFC23Directory