SBA Awards Tucson

Money to Feed Startup Ecosystem

As further evidence that Tucson’s innovation ecosystem is a rising star at the national level, both Startup Tucson and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation each received $50,000 in funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Tucson secured two out of the three Growth Accelerator Fund Competition cash awards given in Arizona to support the innovation ecosystem. Both organizations were awarded the funding for their exceptional focus on making entrepreneurship more inclusive; Startup Tucson targeting rural and Spanish-speaking food entrepreneurs while UACI focusing on increasing the number of women STEM entrepreneurs.

UACI will use the resources to support women-led startups developing STEM-related innovations. The $50,000 will be used to hire female student interns and match them with women-led startups to give them strategic commercialization insight and to support them in advancing technology through federally funded projects such as SBIR awards. UACI already leads the national average of diverse founders, furthermore, this program will ramp up the pipeline for young talent entering the field. 

Sylvan Source Wins Startup of the Year

Congrats to UACI startup, Sylvan Source, who won Startup of the Year at the Southern Arizona Tech + Business Expo presented by Arizona Technology Council and the Arizona Commerce Authority. Sylvan Source provides industrial-municipal water treatment and thermal energy recovery systems in a new and innovative way that minimizes waste and decreases error. Sylvan Source started their journey with UACI after winning the Sponsored Launch Fueled by the Town Government of Sahuarita, Arizona and Freeport McMoRan in 2020.

AZInno Highlights UACI

Eric Smith, UACI Executive Director was interviewed for the Arizona Innovation feature of the Phoenix Business Journal. Smith shared the numerous ways that UACI assists startups in growing their successful tech company, outlines the process, and emphasizes the importance of having a network to support a startup in its early stages.

UACI Startup Among American-Made Solar Prize Winners

Congratulations to all finalists of the American-Made Solar Prize Round 4, a $3 million competition designed to increase U.S. solar manufacturing competitiveness. As one of the Power Connectors in the United States, UACI had the chance to support teams throughout the Southwestern United States. R&D lab, a UACI startup, along with AeroShield Materials were announced the grand prize winners! 

Inventors and Ecosystems Heros Honored

Tech Launch Arizona showcased invention to impact with the I-Squared 2021 expo & awards ceremony. They recognized the top inventors and entrepreneurs dedicated to commercializing inventions stemming from the innovative work of the University of Arizona. Eric Smith, Executive Director for UACI was honored for his Ecosystem Impact and Sahand Sabet with Revolute Robotics was recognized as Student Inventor of the Year among others.  

UACI Startup, US Air Tech Featured in the Vail Voice

US Air Tech (USAT) is a thriving startup at UACI that specializes in wireless communications. USAT is diligent about finding innovative and efficient ways to reduce the price and make the technology widely accessible. Read more about how the company was founded and their innovative technology in the Vail Voice article telling the USAT's story.

AZ Commerce Authority Accepting FAST Grant Applications

We are excited to collaborate with the Arizona Commerce Authority who is now accepting FAST Grant applications! The Small Business Administration’s FAST Partnership Program is designed to support programs that advance innovative, technology-driven small businesses. The program’s goal is to increase the number of competitive bids for federally-funded innovation and R&D programs. Apply by December 31 to be one of the six companies receiving a $3,000 grant.  

Copper Cactus Awards

Tucson Metro Chamber recently hosted the Copper Cactus Awards which celebrates the accomplishments and innovation of Southern Arizona's locally owned businesses. Tech Parks Arizona was proud to sponsor the Startup of the Year for the second year in a row. UACI would like to congratulate all of the Startup of the Year finalists including UACI graduate Freefall Aerospace, current UACI startup uPetsia, and the winner Saiox Inc.!

Noontime Knowledge: Satisfaction Guarantee

In this Noontime Knowledge session, AZ Technica provides an overview of Quality and its role in successful businesses. They kick off the discussion with a few industrial examples and explain the general structure of Quality Management Systems. The company founders, Meghan and Celine connected at the University of Arizona, where they both completed post-secondary degrees in Biomedical Engineering. With nearly 20 combined years of industry experience, the cofounders discovered their mutual respect for the role of quality and regulatory compliance within the medical device industry. 

Startup Spotlight: Solar Space

SolarSpace is using cutting edge solar energy generation technology developed by world-renowned astrophysicists and top-class researchers and engineers at the University of Arizona. Solar Space worked with Tech Launch Arizona, to commercialize University of Arizona technology that produces highly efficient photovoltaic system that captures more heat and energy from sunlight than current solar panel models.

Sipping on SBIR Success

The Federal funding programs Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), provide over $2.2 billion to cutting-edge technologies developed by small businesses each year. Learn from Richard Austin, CEO and co-founder of Reglagene about what it takes to secure SBIR/STTR funding. On October 28 he will share how the business successfully navigated the complex process and received SBIR/STTR funds. 

Tech Triangle Talk

Global Entrepreneurial Shooting Stars

The November 9, 2021, Tech Triangle Talk is a special "Global Entrepreneurship Week" edition featuring startups who have made the huge leap to a market outside of their borders! The Tech Triangle Talk series launched in February 2021 among startups and partners representing innovation centers in Arizona, Rennes (France) and Quebec (Canada) - the tech "triangle" of global regions. The Tech Triangle Talk series is an opportunity for startups to meet and exchange best practices, learn about global expansion opportunities and make connections with like-minded startups and supportive partners. The partners collaborating to deliver the Tech Triangle Talk series include the AZ TechCelerator in Surprise and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation in Tucson in Arizona; Sherbrooke-Innopole in the City of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; and Le Poool Technology Hub in Rennes, France.   

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The University of Arizona Center for Innovation (UACI) is a key component of Tech Parks Arizona which brings together university, industry and community to advance technology innovation. UACI is the University of Arizona's startup incubator network with outposts across the Southern Arizona region with a mission to grow scalable startup ventures that fuel the Arizona ecosystem.