CONNECT Receives $50,000 Grant from the Small Business Administration

CONNECT, a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales companies in the technology and life sciences sectors, was selected as a winner of a $50,000 prize in the third annual the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition from the SBA and its agency partners, the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Education. A total of $3.4 million in prizes was awarded to 68 accelerators across country. Winners of this year’s contest were chosen by more than 100 experts with entrepreneurial, investment, startup, economic development, capital formation, and academic backgrounds.

“CONNECT is honored to be one of the 68 winners of the SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition,” said Greg McKee, CEO of CONNECT. “This grant will enable us to better serve San Diego’s entrepreneurs in our Springboard Accelerator Program and help entrepreneurs garner more funding to grow their companies. We are truly grateful to Administrator Contreras-Sweet for her continued commitment to San Diego’s startups, ensuring that our city remains a global hub for innovation long into the future.”

The funds will be used to support SBIR/STTR eligible researchers and entrepreneurs through CONNECT’s Springboard Accelerator Program. CONNECT will use these funds to increase awareness and understanding of SBIR/STTR funding programs, as well as to provide assistance and support for local entrepreneurs, researchers, and mentors who are commercializing technologies qualified for SBIR/STTR programs.

“We are so excited to have CONNECT, a local non-profit that helps create jobs and opportunities for our local community, receive this prestigious award,” said Ruben Garcia, the SBA’s district director for San Diego. “This grant will help foster the expansion of innovative local businesses and the continued growth of the San Diego economy.”

Read more about the selection process and the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition winners here.

About CONNECT
CONNECT is a premier innovation company accelerator in San Diego that creates and scales great companies in the technology and life sciences sectors. By creating an environment in which entrepreneurs and C-suite executives have access to the people, capital, and technology resources they need for success, CONNECT has assisted in the formation and development of more than 3,000 companies since 1985. Widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful organizations linking entrepreneurs and C-suite executives with the resources they need for the commercialization of innovative products and services; our program has been modeled in more than 50 regions around the world.