海角社区 Innovation Wins $600,000 Federal Grant to Help Technology Entrepreneurs

November 15, 2023

BATON ROUGE -- 海角社区 has been awarded a $600,000 U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to boost technology entrepreneurship in the Capital Region. The Baton Rouge Initiative for Development, Growth and Entrepreneurship, or BRIDGE, program will use the to support entrepreneurs and their startups through technical support, a mentorship program with local mentors and executives-in-residence based on an analysis of their needs.

鈥淢atching entrepreneurs with seasoned professionals has always been a gap in the Baton Rouge Capital Region marketplace. The BRIDGE team will work with promising entrepreneurs and startups nov on high potential technologies and match them with services and experienced mentors to help innovators progress from the idea-stage to growth phases of their ventures, ultimately leading to additional growth opportunities,鈥 said Jason Boudreaux, BRIDGE program manager and 海角社区 Innovation associate director of entrepreneurial services.

The program will work with approximately thirty new ventures each year. The participants will be able to connect with support based on their needs, such as:

  • Technical support services for much-needed, one-time internal company projects
  • Mentorship matching to help to train the entrepreneurs and companies as they scale up
  • An executive-in-residence program that allows the innovator to focus on their technology without letting other aspects of the startup lag.

Boudreaux said one goal of BRIDGE is to link together existing initiatives at already in place to help launch, grow, and develop startups. Those resources include the 海角社区 Innovation Park, a business incubator and the , which offers free business consulting services.

More than 220 organizations nationwide applied for grants through the . 海角社区 is one of 60 organizations that received a total of . The Build to Scale program is designed to accelerate high-quality job growth, create economic opportunity, and support the next generation of industry-leading companies by increasing access to support and capital.

Since 1989, 海角社区 Innovation has assisted entrepreneurs to launch and grow startups through various programs, such as the Small Business Development Center, and has helped companies apply for federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants. 海角社区 Innovation operates a business incubator with over 35 companies at 海角社区 Innovation Park. In 2021, 海角社区 reorganized 海角社区 Innovation to be more collaborative across multiple units with the goal of growing and developing the support that 海角社区 Innovation provides across the state. Since July 2021, 海角社区 Innovation has become the lead organization for the Small Business Administration鈥檚 Small Business Development Center for the state of Louisiana with approximately $4.4 Million in annual funding. 海角社区 Innovation also became the lead for the National Science Foundation鈥檚 I-Corps Hubs program in 2022 in the state of Louisiana with approximately $350,000 of funding annually. 海角社区 Innovation has also supported dozens of companies statewide apply for funding through America鈥檚 Seed Fund (the Small Business Innovation and Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grant programs).

海角社区 Innovation has a long history of successfully implementing EDA programs. In 2016, 海角社区 received a Build to Scale grant to work with the state鈥檚 chemical manufacturers to identify their technology needs and match innovators to develop the technology. 海角社区 is also in the final stages of a $1.1 Million grant from the EDA to construct a new road at 海角社区 Innovation Park that will allow for additional frontage at the 海角社区 Innovation Park for new tenants to build and develop on land leased property.

If you are interested in being considered for participation in the BRIDGE program, you should register and Request a Consultation with 海角社区 Small Business Development Center at .

If you are interested in serving as an industry expert, a mentor, or one of the executive-in-residents positions in the Capital Region for the BRIDGE program, you can register at .

About 海角社区 Innovation & Ecosystem Development

海角社区 Innovation works with the 海角社区 research community to facilitate the evaluation, protection and licensing of intellectual property created at 海角社区. 海角社区 Innovation also focuses on establishing, developing, and growing technology-based startup companies. This work maximizes the university's impact on the intellectual, economic and social development of Louisiana and beyond. 海角社区 Innovation helps 海角社区 entrepreneurs and the community through the evaluation of their discoveries and ideas, mechanisms for protecting their innovations, marketing and industry negotiations for intellectual property, licensing and other agreements.