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Portfolio

Since 2012, America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF has made nearly 3,400 awards to startups and small businesses. Since 2015, NSF-funded small businesses have had 153 exits and have received $9.1 billion in private investment.* We encourage you to explore this list of assorted companies we’ve funded.
*Data from CB Insights.

View our current awardees, who are still completing the research outlined in their proposals and who haven’t yet reached the estimated ends of their award terms. View current Phase I awardees or Current Phase II awardees.

Learn about past awardees, including awardees that have finished their research. View all awardees.

View a list of COVID-19 related awards here.

We fund varied tech sectors.

Each year, we fund roughly 400 companies across nearly all technology and market sectors (with the exception of clinical trials and schedule I controlled substances). Download a searchable PDF of the full list of technology topic areas that also includes descriptions of the subtopics.


Technology Topic Areas

From lab to market - Bolt Threads genetically engineered yeast brew silk proteins that can be spun into fibers.

Featured alumni and exits

Advanced Analytics (AA)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Featured companies

Advanced Analytics (AA):

  • Data Collection, Cleaning, Integration and Processing (AA1)
  • Data Mining (AA2)
  • Decision Modelling (AA3)
  • Descriptive and Predictive Analytics (AA4)
  • Deterministic Modelling (AA5)
  • Optimization (AA6)
  • Simulation (AA7)
  • Statistical Modelling (AA8)
  • Time Series Analysis and Forecasting (AA9)
  • Visualization (AA10)
  • Other Advanced Analytics Technologies (AA11)

Advanced Manufacturing (M)

Program director

Elizabeth Mirowski

Featured companies

Advanced Manufacturing (M):

  • Additive Manufacturing Components and Systems (M1)
  • Bio-Inspired Manufacturing (M2)
  • Cybermanufacturing (M3)
  • Human-Centric Industrial Technologies (M4)
  • Infrastructure (M5)
  • Manufacturing Technologies (M6)
  • Modeling and Simulation (M7)
  • Personalized Manufacturing, Maker Manufacturing, and Maker to Manufacturer (M8)
  • Sustainable Manufacturing Technology and Circular Economy Technologies (M9)
  • Other Manufacturing Technologies (M10)

Advanced Materials (AM)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies

Advanced Materials (AM):

  • Coatings and Surface Modifications (AM1)
  • Materials for Sustainability (AM2)
  • Metals and Ceramics (AM3)
  • Novel Advanced Materials-based Sensors (AM4)
  • Specialized Functional Materials (AM5)
  • Structural and Infrastructural Materials (AM6)
  • Other Advanced Materials Technologies (AM7)

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Featured companies

Artificial Intelligence (AI):

  • AI-Optimized Hardware (AI1)
  • Computer Vision (AI2)
  • Language-Based AI (AI3)
  • Machine Learning (AI4)
  • Other Artificial Intelligence Technologies (AI5)

Augmented and Virtual Reality (AV)

Program director

Diane Hickey

Featured companies

Augmented and Virtual Reality (AV):

  • Audio Augmentation and Interfaces (AV1)
  • Computation and Data integration (AV2)
  • Projection and Display Media (AV3)
  • Tracking, Alignment, and Stabilization Technologies (AV4)
  • Wearable Technologies (AV5)
  • Other Augmented and Virtual Reality Technologies (AV6)

Biological Technologies (BT)

Program director

Erik Pierstorff

Featured companies

Biological Technologies (BT):

  • Animal Biotechnology (BT1)
  • Bio-Inspired Technologies (BT2)
  • Bioinstruments (BT3)
  • Biosensors (BT4)
  • Cell and Tissue Engineering (BT5)
  • Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (BT6)
  • Fermentation Technologies (BT7)
  • Life Science Research Tools (BT8)
  • Materials for Biomedical Applications (BT9)
  • Plant Biotechnology (BT10)
  • Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering (BT11)
  • Other Biological Technologies (BT12)

Biomedical Technologies (BM)

Program director

Henry Ahn

Featured companies

Biomedical Technologies (BM):

  • Diagnostics (BM1)
  • Medical Imaging (BM2)
  • Monitoring Devices (BM3)
  • Other Biomedical Technologies (BM4)

Chemical Technologies (CT)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Featured companies

Chemical Technologies (CT):

  • Biochemicals (CT1)
  • Catalysts, Advanced Chemicals and Materials (CT2)
  • Chemical and Environmental Sensing and Data (CT3)
  • Food Processing, Chemicals and Agriculture (CT4)
  • Green Chemicals and Chemical Alternatives (CT5)
  • Separations and Water Treatment (CT6)
  • Other Chemical Technologies (CT7)

Cloud and High-Performance Computing (CH)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Featured companies

Cloud and High-Performance Computing (CH):

  • Algorithms and Applications (CH1)
  • Computational Architecture (CH2)
  • Convergence of AI and Cloud/HPC (CH3)
  • Edge Computing (CH4)
  • Energy Efficiency and Sustainability (CH5)
  • In-memory Processing (CH6)
  • Interconnects (CH7)
  • Middleware (CH8)
  • Performance Monitoring (CH9)
  • Processing on Encrypted Data (CH10)
  • Processor Architecture and Design (CH11)
  • Resilience and Resource Management (CH12)
  • Other Cloud and High-Performance Computing Technologies (CH13)

Cybersecurity and Authentication (CA)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Featured companies

Cybersecurity and Authentication (CA):

  • Computation on Encrypted Data (CA1)
  • Cryptography, including Post-quantum Cryptography (CA2)
  • Data Privacy and Integrity (CA3)
  • Device Authentication (CA4)
  • Encryption, including Homomorphic Encryption (CA5)
  • Network and Device Security (CA6)
  • Personal Authentication (CA7)
  • Secure and Trusted Computing (CA8)
  • Secure Machine-to-Machine Communication (CA9)
  • Security of Cloud and HPC Platforms (CA10)
  • Other Cybersecurity and Authentication Technologies (CA11)

Digital Health (DH)

Program director

Alastair Monk

Featured companies

Digital Health (DH):

  • Clinical Decision Support (DH1)
  • Healthcare System Workflow (DH2)
  • Medical Diagnostics (DH3)
  • Personalized Software Systems (DH4)
  • Other Digital Health Technologies (DH5)

Distributed Ledger (DL)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Featured companies

Distributed Ledger (DL):

  • Autonomous Systems and Economies, and Smart Contracts (DL1)
  • Blockchain, DAGs, and Next-Gen Protocols (DL2)
  • Convergence with Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence (DL3)
  • Convergence with Internet of Things, Crowdsourcing and Crowdsensing (DL4)
  • Cryptography, Security, and Cybersecurity (DL5)
  • Distributed Consensus and Fault Tolerance Mechanisms (DL6)
  • Distributed Ledger in Edge and Cloud Computing (DL7)
  • Distributed Ledger Interoperability (DL8)
  • Distributed Ledger in Network Architecture and Management (DL9)
  • Financial Technologies (DL10)
  • Human-to-Technology Interface; Decentralized Applications (dApps) (DL11)
  • Scalability Solutions and Accumulators (DL12)
  • Trusted Identity and Identity Management (DL13)
  • Other Distributed Ledger Technologies (DL14)

Energy Technologies (EN)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Featured companies

Energy Technologies (EN):

  • Energy Efficiencies and Data Technologies (EN1)
  • Energy Production and Power Generation (EN2)
  • Energy Storage (EN3)
  • Petrochemicals, Oil and Gas (EN4)
  • Other Energy Technologies (EN5)

Environmental Technologies (ET)

Program director

Rajesh Mehta

Featured companies

Environmental Technologies (ET):

  • Computational Sustainability (ET1)
  • Digital Ecosystem for the Environment (ET2)
  • Emission/Waste Reduction and the Circular Economy (ET3)
  • Environmental Health (ET4)
  • Environmental and Societal Impact Measurement (ET5)
  • Food, Regenerative Agriculture, and Energy (ET6)
  • Habitat Conservation, Adaptation and Restoration (ET7)
  • Sustainable Community Systems (ET8)
  • Water Treatment, Resilience, and Sanitation (ET9)
  • Other Environmental Technologies (ET10)

Human-Computer Interaction (HC)

Program director

Diane Hickey

Featured companies

Human-Computer Interaction (HC):

  • Analytics (HC1)
  • Conversational Interfaces (HC2)
  • Dynamic and Smart Spaces (HC3)
  • Embodied and Wearable Computing (HC4)
  • Optometry and Human Vision (HC5)
  • Tactile Technologies (HC6)
  • Technology Aids for Disabilities (HC7)
  • Other Human-Computer Interaction Technologies (HC8)

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH)

Program director

Ben Schrag

Featured companies

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (IH):

  • Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Actuation, Control, and Manipulation (IH1)
  • Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Detection and Characterization (IH2)
  • Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Imaging (IH3)
  • Other Instrumentation or Hardware Systems Technologies (IH4)

Internet of Things (I)

Program director

Murali S. Nair

Featured companies

Internet of Things (I):

  • IoT Communications (I1)
  • IoT Integrated Systems (I2)
  • IoT Sensors and Actuators (I3)
  • Networking (I4)
  • Other IoT Technologies (I5)

Learning and Cognition Technologies (LC)

Program director

Diane Hickey

Featured companies

Learning and Cognition Technologies (LC):

  • Asynchronous and Remote Learning (LC1)
  • Collaborative Networking (LC2)
  • Digital Learning (LC3)
  • Learning Disabilities and Difficulties (LC4)
  • Learning and Workforce Development (LC5)
  • Learning Modalities (LC6)
  • Mental Health Assessment and Support (LC7)
  • Neuroscience-based Technologies (LC8)
  • Scalable Educational Enterprise Systems (LC9)
  • Statistical and Heuristic Analysis (LC10)
  • Other Learning and Cognition Technologies (LC11)

Medical Devices (MD)

Program director

Ed Chinchoy

Featured companies

Medical Devices (MD):

  • Implantables (MD1)
  • Orthopedic (MD2)
  • Rehabilitation Devices (MD3)
  • Sensors (MD4)
  • Wearables (MD5)
  • Other Medical Devices (MD6)

Mobility (MO)

Program director

Elizabeth Mirowski

Featured companies

Mobility (MO):

  • Behavioral (MO1)
  • Hardware (MO2)
  • Infrastructure and Flow (MO3)
  • Resiliency and Sustainability (MO4)
  • Software (MO5)
  • Other Mobility Topics (MO6)

Nanotechnology (N)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Nanotechnology (N):

  • Nanomanufacturing (N1)
  • Nanomaterials (N2)
  • Nanotechnology Solutions to Global Grand Challenges (N3)
  • Other Nanotechnologies (N4)

Other Topics (OT)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Other Topics (OT):

  • Other Topics (OT1)

Pharmaceutical Technologies (PT)

Program director

Kaitlin Bratlie

Featured companies

Pharmaceutical Technologies (PT):

  • Drug Delivery Methods (PT1)
  • Drug Discovery (PT2)
  • Pharmaceutical and Biologic Manufacturing (PT3)
  • Therapeutic Molecules (PT4)
  • Other Pharmaceutical Technologies (PT5)

Photonics (PH)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies

Photonics (PH):

  • Advanced Metrology and Sensors (PH1)
  • Advanced Optical Components and Systems (PH2)
  • Communications, Information, and Data Storage (PH3)
  • Lighting and Displays (PH4)
  • Photon-based Energy Conversion (PH5)
  • Photonic Materials (PH6)
  • Other Photonics Technologies (PH7)

Power Management (PM)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies