Impact of SBIR

1. SBIR & Firm Strategy

   10. Role of SBIR award in company strategy: How important was the award to the firm’s current position? What alternative sources of funding were considered and/or enhanced by the SBIR award? Do they anticipate applying for further SBIR awards? If the firm received earlier SBIR awards, how did these affect the current award?

   11. Was the SBIR and/or Fast Track award used as a marketing tool? That is, did the firm use the presence of the award as leverage to attract additional outside capital? Did the firm use the Fast Track policy —i.e., the opportunity for outside investors to obtain up to a 4:1 match on their investment—as leverage to attract outside capital?

2. Commercialization

   12. Does a strategy exist for commercializing the product? For example, strategic alliances for production, such as a joint venture or licensing. If possible, please disclose names of firms.

   13. Has the SBIR-funded technology generated any patents? Is it expected to generate patents? Have any scientific papers resulted?

       13a) How was the commercialization strategy affected by participation in SBIR? By participation in Fast Track?

   14. Has the firm sold a product resulting from the SBIR project? If not, when does it anticipate selling its first product? Does the firm have specific customers interested in the product? If so, who? Does the firm have anyone on its board of directors or in a management position that has built a successful company before and taken it public?

3. Financing and external partners

   15. Does the SBIR awardee have external financing? If so, how much and will it identify the partner? Did the SBIR award play a role in the external partner’s decision to provide funding. Where is the partner located? How was the relationship with the partner developed? Did the SBIR award play a role in securing other external investment? Does the SBIR awardee have internal financing? If so, how much?