Let us help you get nondilutive funding for your technology.
High-risk, high-reward solutions built by women
EMPOWER was launched in 2021 with the intention of supporting all women innovators who could develop their technology with non-dilutive federal funding.
Benefits of the program include:
12-16 weeks of SBIR/STTR-related curriculum
A community of like-minded innovators
Access to industry-related and technical subject matter expert support
Pre-work for applying for nondilutive federal research funding, such as developing technical and commercial objectives, preparing executive summaries, specific aims, or project pitch
Strategizing and consulting sessions with industry and technology experts
Presentations and connections with federal agency program managers
Expertly curated curriculum
Contact us to see if the program is a good fit for you.
FAQs
Why participate?
To understand non-dilutive federal research funding and see if it is good for your startup.
To take a calculated risk in starting a company with nondilutive federal funding.
To balance your steady job with launching your innovation.
To get connected with a network of supporters.
To get connected with program managers from federal research agencies.
To feel confident in moving forward with preparing a proposal for federal research funding, and graduate to work with the Science Venture Studio to prepare the proposal.
To experience expertly curated curriculum that pulls back the layers of innovation to understand your commercial opportunities, develop technical objectives that can build your product for commercial success, and relate it to non-dilutive federal research funding.
To develop life-long relationships with other founders and community members dedicated to supporting their growth.
To change the status quo for women and be an inspiration for other women to take the leap of developing their technology to make lasting impacts on themselves and overall society.
Who can participate?
Female founders in Arkansas that have a high-risk, high reward product idea
TRL 2: Basic Techology but moving to research to prove feasibility
TRL 3: Fully proving out feasibility of the research
TRL 4: Proved feasibility and moving to technology development
Pre-revenue and pre-seed technology
Designed for females that have not started a company, or at the infancy stage of their company development, and have begun the proof-of-concept research and development stage.
What does high-risk, high reward mean?
High-risk – means that there are numerous technical challenges that will need to be overcome (mitigated) in the development of the product. The technical development is creative, original, and has potentially transformative concepts.
High-reward – if the technical challenges are mitigated, the product could make lasting impacts on society including economical advancements within the community as well as the company growth. Huge societal and economic impacts not only in the nation but on a global scale. If proven, the technical developments could advance knowledge and understanding within its own field or across different fields.
What Does It Cost?
There is no cost to participate, only your time and dedication. No equity is taken from any companies.
Where Is It Based?
The education component/mentors of the accelerator will be virtual.
There will be intermittent in-person networking events throughout the program in various locations in NWA.
Who Runs It?
EMPOWER is run by the Startup Junkie Foundation. Startup Junkie Foundation has facilitated 15 previous accelerator programs with over 150 alumni companies. They engage thousands of entrepreneurs in the Northwest Arkansas region through a vibrant startup culture. Their clients have raised $664.2 million in private investment capital and scaled to a collective $924 million in annual revenue.
Stay Connected.
For further updates on the EMPOWER Accelerator, connect with us. We want to connect with you early and stay connected throughout your journey.