UCI Beall Applied Innovation Receives $50K in Funding from U.S. Small Business Administration

UCI Beall Applied Innovation recently received $50,000 from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in support of women-led startup companies. The funds will be used to help educate and encourage women entrepreneurs to apply for Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) funds.

“The SBA is a strong ally to startups and an important partner to us in our goal to increase the number of women entrepreneurs in the STEM field,” said Richard Sudek, UCI chief innovation officer and executive director of UCI Beall Applied Innovation. “We’re thankful to the SBA, especially our local representatives, for these funds to support women-led startups and keep moving the needle forward.”

With the funds, Applied Innovation aims to implement training and educational SBIR/STTR programs to further support women-led startup companies, as well as provide personalized mentoring, review and feedback on proposal development, facilitate meetings with federal agencies and industry representatives to pitch to investors, among much more services.

“The awarding of these funds are the latest example of SBA’s commitment to collaborating with UCI Beall Applied Innovation,” said Acting District Director Christopher Lorenzana. “We’re big advocates of their efforts to support job creation and economic growth through their numerous programs, including the SBA-powered SBDC @ UCI Beall Applied Innovation, and their relentless drive in leading the cultivation of a world-class entrepreneurial ecosystem in Orange County.”

Applied Innovation is one of 60 growth accelerators who received a portion of $3 million in total from SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund, which focuses on growing startup companies and STEM-focused entrepreneurs.

Read more about Applied Innovation’s programs.

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