STARTUP Resources
If you're still validating the core technical risk, working toward your first pilot, or haven't yet pursued non-dilutive funding to extend runway, start with these resources. You don't need revenue to apply, but you do need a credible, named buyer and a plan to get there.
If you need help de-risking the technical path or figuring out which non-dilutive funding to pursue first, our venture partners can provide frameworks for getting from prototype to pilot and identifying the right first buyer.
Here are a few resources to keep moving in the right direction:
Funding Resources
Consider raising your initial cash needs from friends and family, loans, etc. Once you have a few paying customers, apply with us.
Review "How to prepare to run a tight fundraising process."
SBIR/STTR basics: how to apply for your first Phase I award (sbir.gov)
How founders fund early hardware and lab work before a priced round, bootstrapping alongside non-dilutive grants- self funding course.
Start networking with other deep tech founders and program managers, look for AFWERX, DARPA, and similar agency demo days and pitch events.
So you want to do a startup, eh?
A slide presentation about what we founders go through to build a start-up.
Programs and Support Networks
Pitch Deck Coaching
(technical pitch support)
National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) / Hacking for Defense, for founders with a defense angle
Grant writing resources for SBIR/STTR applicants
Co-founder
If you're a technical founder you may want a business co-founder, or vice versa, someone to share the load with. Here are a couple links to find them:
Focus on Product Market Fit (PMF)
Connect with our Venture Partner, Ada Ryland for a free assessment on identifying your first credible buyer and building a plan to get there. 50 min session with Ada.
Books
- Loonshots, Safi Bahcall
- The Imagineers of War, Sharon Weinberger
- Chip War, Chris Miller
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz