The FORGE Product Development Grant (FPDG) is non-dilutive funding awarded to a cleantech startup(s) to support the development of a physical product. The goal of the grant is to remove barriers to scale and manufacturing, providing the necessary funds for a specific product development challenge critical to the company’s ability to scale and/or reach the marketplace. The successful grant application will pinpoint that challenge and articulate how the grant funds will be used to overcome the roadblock. Applications are due by March 17. More information here.
The DOE Emerging Tech Studio, powered by FedTech, draws entrepreneurs who will investigate and build new ventures around technologies drawn from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, that includes the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The DOE Emerging Tech Startup Studio aims to leverage the positive impact from these investments and combine with the power of entrepreneurship to ignite new possibilities. Applications are due March 23. More information here.
Apply Now for the 2023 Board-Ready Bootcamp, beginning April 5th: The Board-Ready Bootcamp is designed to improve the quality of board governance and composition at companies by providing a high-impact curriculum on board fundamentals, strategy, and governance. Given the lack of diversity in the tech boardroom, the bootcamp is focused on preparing underrepresented tech leaders, including Black, Latinx, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and women tech executives. Apply by March 25. More information here.
The Clean Green Challenge is a pitch contest for early-stage startups focusing on Sustainability and Green Energy. Who Should Apply? The Clean Green Challenge is looking for entrepreneurs working in an academic field that has a potentially huge impact to solve an environmental problem: Make the water cleaner, reduce carbon emissions, reduce toxic waste, save energy, etc.; environmental science and sustainability innovators; inventors with early data; academic Environmental/sustainability researchers (venture or pre-venture); curious innovators trying to create a company to bring your technology to users so it actually will benefit the environment as a commercial product; and early stage startups that are trying to save the world! If you fit ANY of those criteria, we highly encourage you to apply! APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 27! More information here.
The Rockland Trust 6th annual Small Business Big Dreams contest will provide small businesses a chance to win $20,000 to help their business grow. Participants are aked to submit their background information and give an overview of their strengths, challenges, and plan for the future. The participants will be narrowed down to 3 finalists who will be featured in a video series as they prepare for their final presentation to a panel of judges. The panel will deliberate to choose the winner of the $20,000 grand prize. Both runners-up will receive $2,500. Applications are due March 31. More information here.
Applications are open for the EforAll Cape Cod Blue Economy Pitch Contest. Pitch your business idea and receive valuable feedback from experienced judges. Business ideas linked to the blue economy will be the theme for this year’s pitch. Applications are due March 31. More information here.
The Fellowship for Female Founders is a FREE six-month Fellowship program designed for first-time female founders of early-stage scalable startups looking to raise their first outside capital. Since 2016, The Capital Network has supported 90+ female founders (50% BIPOC) who have collectively raised $85+ million. The Fellowship program gives female founders access to a robust curriculum of fundraising workshops, a supportive network of investors/mentors/entrepreneurs, and peer support to build fundraising confidence and readiness. The application will be open from March 13th – April 10th. The Fellowship will run virtually from June 1st – Nov 30th, 2023. See more details and apply HERE.
TechCrunch Early Stage 2023 – April 20
At this one-day founder summit, you’ll get actionable advice and takeaways from top experts, meet other entrepreneurs taking similar journeys, share your own experiences and build the confidence to take the next steps towards growing your business. More information here.
Accelerate Your Impact: Massachusetts Small Business Coaching Program
Boston Impact Initiative (BII) and Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) have partnered to offer entrepreneurs and small business owners coaching and resources to build sustainable and socially impactful businesses. More information here.
FinTech Sandbox is a nonprofit which enables financial technology entrepreneurs to build robust products by providing access to critical data, development tools and a curated network of customers, entirely for free. FinTech Sandbox is open to all startups innovating in financial services that can use financial data products we offer for product development and testing. The spirit of the program is to offer data to start-ups that could not otherwise afford it. More information here.
The NAACP Power Forward Small Business Grant is available for Black-owned businesses with one to 25 employees located in New England (Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and select areas of Connecticut (more details in the application). $25,000 in grants are available on a rolling basis. More information here.
Venture Lane is piloting a new virtual membership called Venture Lane Connect. The membership will enable B2B startup founders based in Boston to tap into Venture Lane’s curated network, weekly programming focused on go-to-market strategy, $400K in perks like AWS and Microsoft Azure and other resources for early-stage growth. Interested B2B startup founders and their teams can sign up for the private beta here.