2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition
Application Portal is open from now until February 24, 2023
Application Portal
Sign up for GAFC Mini-Convenings
To facilitate relationships between entrepreneur support organizations and potential partners working on similar themes, we’re holding a series of mini-convenings each day from February 6-9, 3-4pm EST. Sign up below for the sessions you’re interested in attending.
Feb. 6: National Security and Global Competitiveness, including but not limited to National Security and Defense; International Trade; Public Health.
Feb. 7: Domestic Manufacturing and Production, including but not limited to AgTech, Food Security, and Nutrition; Supply Chain Resiliency; Critical and Resilient Infrastructure.
Feb. 8: Climate and Renewable Energy, including but not limited to Climate and Environment, Energy, and Sustainability
Feb. 9: Under-Represented People, Places, and Themes
Pick My Session(s)
About the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering $50,000 to $200,000 in prize awards for impactful and inclusive approaches to foster a thriving, collaborative national innovation support ecosystem to advance research and development (R&D) from ideas to impact.
By fostering connections between entrepreneurs, advisors, mentors, partners, philanthropies, corporations, investors, and other shared resources, the 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) will catalyze strategic ecosystem partnerships to build community and organizational capacity for the successful launch, growth, and scale of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-based entrepreneurs and startups.
Competition Goals:
- Increase the pipeline and success of STEM/R&D-focused entrepreneurs and small businesses;
- Increase the success of STEM/R&D-focused entrepreneurs in accessing capital and resources to advance their businesses;
- Incentivize innovation ecosystem stakeholders to provide equitable access to resources for underserved communities and industries;
- Catalyze partnerships and relationships between stakeholder groups to strengthen the national innovation ecosystem; and
- Connect both new and established participants in the national innovation ecosystem
Download full competition guidelines.
Prizes awarded in Two Stages:
Stage One: $50,000 cash prizes will be awarded to organizations (Catalysts) to catalyze relationships between aligned stakeholders (Ecosystem Partners) that lead to the development of Growth Accelerator Partnerships. Catalysts work collaboratively with Ecosystem Partners to bring additional resources, deepen network connections, and develop strategies that amplify the impact and success of the Growth Accelerator Partnership and the STEM/R&D-focused entrepreneurs and small businesses it serves. SBA encourages creative models for ecosystem building. SBA welcomes Stage One submissions from a broad range of organizations with a collaborative vision to nurture a national ecosystem for equitable access to entrepreneurship.
Stage Two: $50,000 to $150,000 cash prizes will be awarded to Growth Accelerator Partnerships to provide assistance to entrepreneurs that transition R&D into the marketplace. The Growth Accelerator Partnership will provide startups and small businesses with additional support and resources. SBA will accept Stage Two submissions from Growth Accelerator Partnerships; submissions will be prepared jointly by Stage One Catalysts and Ecosystem Partners and will present their proposal to successfully accelerate the launch, growth, and scale of diverse STEM/R&D-focused small businesses.
View the recording of the GAFC informational webinar and download the webinar slides for a better understanding of competition rules and guidelines.
Download Webinar Slides
Please note, this competition is not intended to provide capital directly to companies for R&D projects.
2021 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition and SBIR Catalyst Competition Results
The 2021 competition features 84 winners for the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) and eight winners for the SBIR Catalyst competition, a new component aimed at spurring investment in underrepresented communities within the innovation economy at scale, receiving a combined total of $5.4 million in awards.innovation-focused entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) with programs to speed the launch, growth, and scale of deep-tech small businesses across the country.
The winners come from 48 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia and have been awarded based on their proposals for innovative ideas that inclusively support entrepreneurs researching and developing STEM-related innovations.
Two prize tracks were run simultaneously:
- Track 1 - Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC)—The winners of the GAFC are accelerators and incubators who proposed targeted assistance to STEM/R&D entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, rural, and veteran entrepreneurs. The GAFC prize winners support a broad range of industries including clean energy, supply chain resilience, and infrastructure. Many accelerators and incubators also work to expand the participation of innovation-focused small businesses located in HUBZones. GAFC winners will each receive a $50,000 prize.
- Track 2 - SBIR Catalyst—The winners of the SBIR Catalyst competition facilitated eight collaborative partnership proposals aimed at building connections across entrepreneur support organizations that foster innovation driven entrepreneurs from underserved communities. The winners are recognized connectors across programs that fund innovation clusters, hubs, and other technology-based economic development initiatives. SBIR Catalyst winners will each receive a $150,000 prize.
- 2021 Growth Accelerator and SBIR Catalyst Prize Winners Announcement
- List of Prize Winners
SBIR Catalyst
FL
Florida High Tech Corridor Council and partners
SBIR Catalyst
IL (KY, TN)
Southern Illinois Research Park, Inc. and partners
SBIR Catalyst
KY (MS, SC)
XLerator Network and partners
SBIR Catalyst
MI (CT, IN, MN, MO, NE,
NH, RI, SD, VA, VT,WI)
BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting and partners
SBIR Catalyst
NE (IA, KS, MO, SD)
University of Nebraska Medical Center UNeTech Institute and partners
SBIR Catalyst
NM (AK, ID, MT)
New Mexico State University Arrowhead Center and partners
SBIR Catalyst
NY (VA)
Cornell University and partners
SBIR Catalyst
OK (AR, KS, MO, NE)
OK Catalyst, The University of Oklahoma and partners
GAFC
AL
The Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship
GAFC
AL
Innovation Portal, Inc.
GAFC
AR
Conductor Health Sciences Bootcamp
GAFC
AR
Science Venture Studio: EMPOWER
GAFC
AZ
Startup Tucson
GAFC
AZ
University of Arizona Center for Innovation
GAFC
AZ
SEED SPOT
GAFC
CA
UCI Beall Applied Innovation
GAFC
CA
Water, Energy and Technology (WET) Center
GAFC
CA
Long Beach Accelerator
GAFC
CA
Startup Redding
GAFC
CA
Oak Crest Institute of Science
GAFC
CO
Catalyst Accelerator
GAFC
CO
CU Innovations
GAFC
CT
HAYVN LAUNCH
GAFC
DC
Walker's Legacy Foundation
GAFC
DC
The WEPAN Accelerator
GAFC
DE
Delaware Technology Park - DTP[@]STAR
GAFC
DE
Horn Entrepreneurship Blue Hen Proof Of Concept Program
GAFC
FL
Domi Education Inc
GAFC
FL
Tampa Bay Wave
GAFC
GA
Southeast Innovation Institute
GAFC
GA
Invest Atlanta
GAFC
HI
XLR8HI
GAFC
IA
Rural Business Innovators Iowa SBDC
GAFC
IA
The New Bohemian Innovation Collaborative (NewBoCo)
GAFC
ID
Idaho State University College of Business - Bengal Solutions
GAFC
IL
Clean Energy Trust
GAFC
IN
Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, Inc.
GAFC
KS
KU Innovation Park Bioscience & Technology Business Center
GAFC
KY
Accelerated Innovative Manufacturing - University of Louisville
GAFC
KY
Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC)
GAFC
KY
Inventors Network KY
GAFC
LA
Propeller: A Force for Social Innovation
GAFC
LA
Nexus Louisiana Technology Park
GAFC
MA
VentureWell
GAFC
MA
The Capital Network
GAFC
MA
BlueSwell Incubator - SeaAhead
GAFC
MD
Bethesda Green Innovation Lab
GAFC
MD
Clean Energy Business Network
GAFC
MI
TechTown Detroit
GAFC
MI
Centrepolis Accelerator at Lawrence Technological University
GAFC
MN
Defense Alliance
GAFC
MO
Lindenwood University (ITEN)
GAFC
MO
BioSTL
GAFC
MS
Innovate Mississippi
GAFC
MT
Biomimicry Launchpad
GAFC
MT
Early Stage MT
GAFC
NC
RIoT Accelerator Program
GAFC
NC
First Flight Venture Center
GAFC
NC
KickStart Venture Services
GAFC
ND
University of North Dakota Center for Innovation
GAFC
NJ
New Jersey Innovation Institute
GAFC
NJ
Institute for Life Science Entrepreneurship
GAFC
NM
The New Mexico Start-Up Factory
GAFC
NV
University of Nevada InNEVator
GAFC
NY
Biomedical Acceleration and Commercialization Center
GAFC
NY
Koffman Southern Tier Incubator
GAFC
NY
College of Staten Island Tech Incubator
GAFC
OH
The Ohio State University Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship
GAFC
OH
University of Akron Research Foundation
GAFC
OK
Southeastern Oklahoma State University SBDC
GAFC
OR
Opportunity Knocks
GAFC
PA
University City Science Center Launch Lane Accelerator
GAFC
PA
Innovation Works
GAFC
PA
Temple Small Business Development Center
GAFC
PR
Parallel18
GAFC
SC
Don Ryan Center for Innovation
GAFC
SC
USC Columbia Technology Incubator
GAFC
SD
University of South Dakota
GAFC
SD
Elevate Rapid City
GAFC
TN
CO.LAB
GAFC
TN
FoundersForge
GAFC
TX
Capital Factory
GAFC
TX
Health Wildcatters
GAFC
USVI
Accelerate VI
GAFC
UT
RevRoad
GAFC
VA
The Dominion Energy Innovation Center
GAFC
VA
FedTech
GAFC
WA
Life Science Washington Institute
GAFC
WA
Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC)
GAFC
WI
WERCBench Labs Accelerator
GAFC
WI
gener8tor Management LLC
GAFC
WV
New River Gorge Regional Development Authority - WV Hive Network
2021 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition and SBIR Catalyst Competition Information
The 2021 submission period was open from May 26, 2021 until July 2, 2021.
-
- 2021 Competition Guidelines
- Pre-application Webinar June 2, 2021
- Slide deck with FAQ
- Watch the recording here: bit.ly/GAFC21WebinarRec
- Competition Announcement Press Release
History
The Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) was first launched by SBA in 2014 to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship across the country. GAFC prize awards have funded a wide range of accelerators and incubators in an effort to provide increased support to entrepreneurs, particularly in the STEM/R&D innovation ecosystem. Each competition has varied in total prize dollars as well as targeted groups and/or geographies.
Total prize awards since 2014 303 Total prize funds since 2014 $15,150,000 Number of competitions 2014-2020 5 Number of states/territories represented 51 Number of unique winners 222 2019 Competition
2019 GAFC Competition Details
The 2019 Competition featured sixty (60) $50,000 prize awards for accelerators working with high-tech entrepreneurs, mainly potential applicants to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Tech Transfer (STTR) programs. Winners proposed at least 60 percent of their competition-related work to entrepreneurs in one of the following groups: women; socially and/or economically disadvantaged individuals; entrepreneurs in states with lower numbers of SBIR/STTR awards; or entrepreneurs living in or whose business was located/operating in an Opportunity Zone. See competition details for more information on the guidelines, and the press release below for the list of winners.
Past GAFC Announcements
