Seven small businesses in Wisconsin will receive up to $675,000 to commercialize their innovations, thanks to the SBIR Advance program’s latest round of funding.
The state matching grant program provides assistance to companies in the process of completing a project in the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. This is the 27th round of SBIR Advance funding since this collaboration by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and the Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC) began in 2014.
Over the past decade 203 awards totaling over $17 million have been awarded. Those businesses reported obtaining $99.2 million in follow on funding since receiving the SBIR Advance matching grants.
The Phase 2 recipients, six receiving up to $100,000 and one receiving up to $75,000 match, are:
- BiaCure Therapies of Pewaukee is developing a non-invasive and novel therapy for treating nail fungus (onychomycosis), a common and often painful disease, utilizing high frequency energy.
- Calimetrix of Madison delivers precise reference standards for quality assurance of quantitative medical imaging studies, increasing confidence in imaging results and reducing the risk of undetected problems that can lead to misdiagnosis.
- Groupware Technologies of Wauwatosa’s flagship product is Provide Enterprise®, a platform designed to help state and local agencies manage eligibility, enrollment, and delivery of care, specifically for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
- Regenerative Medical Solutions of Madison is leveraging over 25 years of research at UW in the lab of Dr. Jon Odorico, RMS to target a cure for diabetes using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) therapy.
- Sativa Building Systems of Wittenberg designs and manufacture proprietary hemp building materials for safe and sustainable construction.
- Steam Instruments of Madison is a pioneering startup at the forefront of high-spatial resolution mass spectrometry technology. They are dedicated to revolutionizing the field with our innovative solutions designed to enhance mass range, quantum efficiency, and spatial resolution.
- Varizymes Corporation of Middleton is an early stage biotechnology company that provides high quality, novel enzymes and point of care diagnostic kits that save customers time and money using our advanced molecular amplification and detection technologies.
“We funded seven Phase II teams for the most recent round of SBIR Advance grants,” said Rob Baranowski, SBIR Advance Program Manager. “We have a diverse group of companies that have received funding from the NSF, the NIH, the Army, the USDA, and NIST. We have made a concerted effort to increase the number of contracts awarded to our state, and we are always pleased to see our efforts pay off with more of these contracts being awarded to Wisconsin small businesses.”
The U.S. government created SBIR/STTR programs to stimulate domestic high-tech innovation, budgeting over $4 billion in federal research funding annually. Because those funds cannot be used for commercialization activities, the SBIR Advance program fills the gap. Funds can be used to pursue market research, customer validation, intellectual property work or other areas that speed commercialization.
SBIR Advance grant recipients receive CTC staff support available throughout the commercialization process, business plan review, and other consulting.
“The SBIR Advance program is an example of the Wisconsin Idea in action – that state government and the Universities of Wisconsin should work together for the benefit of the entire state – and beyond,” said John W. Miller, secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s leading economic development organization. “Through the SBIR Advance program, the Universities of Wisconsin and WEDC provide the needed resources to support startups and give them the opportunity to remove the gaps between innovation, customers, investors, and ultimately success for Wisconsin.”
For more details on the SBIR Advance program, visit www.wisconsinctc.org/sbiradvance or e-mail . The next solicitation is expected to open in late summer.
SBIR Advance is part of a Start-Seed-Scale (S3) initiative WEDC is pursuing with the help of the Universities of Wisconsin and other business leaders throughout the state to remove barriers to high-tech commercialization. Under the S3 umbrella, WEDC and its economic development partners are implementing financial and operational assistance programs designed specifically to address Wisconsin’s business startup and seed-funding challenges.
About Center for Technology Commercialization
The Center for Technology Commercialization is part of the Universities of Wisconsin Office for Business & Entrepreneurship. CTC provides one-on-one expert consulting to early-stage emerging technology businesses throughout Wisconsin. CTC has collaborated in acquiring more than $110 million in federal and other funding for clients. Learn more at www.wisconsinctc.org; follow @WisconsinCTC on X and Bsky.
About Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) leads economic development efforts for the state by advancing and maximizing opportunities in Wisconsin for businesses, communities and people to thrive in a globally competitive environment. Working with more than 600 regional and local partners, WEDC develops and delivers solutions representative of a highly responsive and coordinated economic development network. Learn more at https://wedc.org; follow @WEDCNews on X.