Funding Sources
An abundance of sources exist for entrepreneurs and inventors to fund business creation.
KSEF - Kentucky Science and Engineering Foundation
The KSEF R&D Excellence Program for Emerging Technologies provides awards to Kentucky-based companies for research and development activity conducted to advance the early feasibility results of purpose-driven research to provide a more definite outcome of results in the development of a new product or a process technology.
KEF - Kentucky Enterprise Fund
The Kentucky Enterprise Fund (KEF) is a series of investment funds, funded by the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), aimed at promoting and developing early stage technology companies in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Natural Products Funds
Natural Products Alliance
The Natural Products Alliance Funds provides grants for the development of novel technologies, proof of concept research, and/or initial commercialization of research findings in plant-, animal-, or microbial-derived natural products.
SBIR - Small Business Innovation Research
STTR - Small Business Technology Transfer Awards
SBIR and STTR are federal government programs administered by 10 federal agencies for the purpose of helping to provide early-stage Research and Development funding to small technology companies (or individual entrepreneurs who form a company). Each agency sets its own policy. You can find excellent overviews and links to each agency at SBIR Gateway and SBIRworld.
NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) administers the Advanced Technology Program. ATP bridges the gap between the research lab and the market place, stimulating prosperity through innovation. Through partnerships with the private sector, ATP's early stage investment is accelerating the development of innovative technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the nation.
Bluegrass Angels
The Bluegrass Angels (BGA) seeks to encourage the development of start-up companies and to support new businesses in the region by providing the region's entrepreneurs with seed capital and management guidance from experienced industry and entrepreneurial veterans. An important, although not exclusive, focus of the BGA is to develop start-up companies through the commercialization of the on-going research of the University of Kentucky.
Regional Venture Capital Firms
There are several regional venture capital firms to consider. Today, VC's are most interested in companies with solid management teams and early customers and revenue.