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NSF SBIR Phase IDeep tech: advanced sensing
Advanced sensing startup
$305K Phase I to prove a high-risk sensing architecture
The challenge
A pre-revenue hardware startup had a novel sensing architecture with a genuine physics unknown at its core. Investors wanted proof the approach worked before pricing a round, and the company needed to fund a year of experimental work without giving up equity at a low valuation.
What we did
- Screened the company against NSF SBIR criteria and drafted a Project Pitch built around intellectual merit and broader impact.
- Framed the central technical unknown as the research question, with clear go / no-go milestones a reviewer could score.
- Wrote the full Project Description, commercialization plan and budget justification, then ran two reviewer-style internal review rounds before submission through Research.gov.
The result
A Phase I award of $305K funding twelve months of feasibility work, positioning the company for a Phase II proposal worth up to $1M.
Client name withheld at their request; references available on request.
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