Federal SBIR programs provide $2.5 billion (with a "B"!) annually to innovative small businesses for R&D projects. If you have a product concept that fits with the mission of the federal agencies, they want to give you money to build that product.
Representatives from those agencies (NSF, NIH, DOD, DOE, USDA, etc.) are making a live appearance in Portland on July 17th. It's a rare opportunity to learn about SBIR/STTR and meet with program staff face-to-face in our neck of the woods. Don't miss it! The Road Show event is hosted by our good friends at (the soon to be renamed) Oregon BEST.
Hedgehogs are naturally insectivores. They evolved to eat bugs, which are necessary for proper digestion. If they don't get enough fiber in their diets, the results can be ... messy, and lead to health problems.
Unfortunately, there isn't currently a good insect-based feed product available for purchase for the estimated 250,000 hedgehog owners in the US.
Kimberly Halzen is an OSU employee and alumna. She's working with the OSU Advantage Accelerator to launch a startup company, called Hedgehog Precision, to address the market need for specialized insect-based hedgehog feed.
Accelerator client-company Wellio is featured in the OSU College of Engineering's tremendous podcast series called Engineering Out Loud.
Wellio is building an app to help people with mental illness to manage crises and thrive.
The company is led by Alison Bowden, an undergrad in ECE at Oregon State, and Houston Morgan, a business communications major at Arizona State University. The Wellio app includes crisis management tools; tracking of mood, activities and symptoms; and a neural net for intelligent analytics.
Startup Weekend is an event that brings people together to create a company in just 36 hours.
Have you ever wanted to start a new business that could change the world?
Do you have an idea you'd like to pursue or a problem you'd like to solve but don't know where to start or who to start with?
Startup Weekend Oregon Coast is the place to look for a team, create a prototype of your idea, validate your business idea, and receive feedback from experienced entrepreneurs, all in one weekend.
The Social Pitch, from Hatch Innovation in Portland, provides emerging social entrepreneurs an opportunity to receive funding and engage the community with their projects. It is an alternative funding model for community good.
The Social Pitch IX is happening August 26. Registration opens July 2. Applications to pitch are due by July 23.
