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Portfolio

Since 2012, America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF has made more than 2,500 awards to startups and small businesses. Since 2014, our awardees have had 70 exits and have received $3.5 billion in private investment. We encourage you to explore this list of assorted companies we’ve funded.

We fund varied tech sectors.

Each year, we fund roughly 400 companies across nearly all technology and market sectors. Download a searchable PDF of the full list of technology topic areas that also includes descriptions of the subtopics.


Technology Topic Areas

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.

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

Featured alumni and exits

Advanced Manufacturing (MN)

Program director

Linda Molnar

Featured companies

Advanced Manufacturing (MN):

  • Manufacturing Technologies (M1)
  • Bio-Inspired Manufacturing (M2)
  • Additive Manufacturing Components and Systems (M3)
  • Modeling & Simulation (M4)
  • Cybermanufacturing (M5)
  • Personalized Manufacturing / Maker Manufacturing / Maker to Manufacturer (M6)
  • Transportation Technologies (M7)
  • Human-Centric Industrial Technologies (M8)
  • Sustainable Manufacturing Technology (M9)

Advanced Materials (MI)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies

Advanced Materials (MI):

  • Metals and Ceramics (MI1)
  • Structural and Infrastructural Materials (MI2)
  • Coatings and Surface Modifications (MI3)
  • Multiferroics and Specialized Functional Materials (MI4)
  • Materials for Sustainability (MI5)
  • Other Materials (MI6)

Biological Technologies (BT)

Program director

Ruth Shuman

Featured companies

Biological Technologies (BT):

  • Plant Biotechnology (BT1)
  • Biosensors (BT2)
  • Life Sciences Research Tools (BT3)
  • Bioinstrumentats (BT4)
  • Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering (BT5)
  • Fermentation Technologies (BT6)
  • Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (BT7)
  • Cell and Biologics Manufacturing (BT8)
  • Drug Discovery Platforms (BT9)
  • Cell and Tissue Engineering (BT10)
  • Animal Biotechnology (BT11)
  • Food and Food Safety Biotechnology (BT12)

Biomedical Technologies (BM)

Program director

Henry Ahn

Featured companies

Biomedical Technologies (BM):

  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (BM1)
  • Materials for Biomedical Applications (BM2)
  • Noninvasive Imaging of Brain Function (BM3)
  • Medical Imaging Technologies (BM4)
  • Diagnostic Assays and Platforms (BM5)
  • Drug Delivery (BM6)

Chemical and Advanced Energy Technologies (CT)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Featured companies

Chemical and Advanced Energy Technologies (CT):

  • Advanced Chemical Processes and Products (CT1)
  • Catalytic Products and Processes (CT2)
  • Power Generation and Advanced Infrastructure (CT3)
  • Advanced Hydrocarbons, Petrochemicals and Natural Resources(CT4)
  • Advanced Energy Technologies (CT5)
  • Data Technologies, Sensing and Analytics for Chemicals, and/or Energy (CT6)

Digital Health (DH)

Program director

Nancy Kamei

Featured companies

Digital Health (DH):

  • Business Models for User-Centered Healthcare (DH1)
  • Digital Health Information Infrastructure (DH2)
  • From Data to Decisions (DH3)
  • Interoperability of Health Record Systems, Medical Sensors, Devices and Robotics (DH4)
  • Empowering Individuals and Communities (DH5)

Distributed Ledger (OT)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Distributed Ledger (OT):

  • Advanced Protocols- Blockchain, DAGs, and Next Gen Protocols (DL1)
  • Cryptography and Security, Identity and Anonymity Solutions, Trusted Devices (DL2)
  • Smart Contracts, Next-Generation Financial Technologies (DL3)
  • Scalability Solutions, Enhanced Consensus Methods, Organizational Structures (DL4)
  • Human to Technology Interface Innovations, Disruptive Business Model Innovations for Distributed Ledger Technologies (DL5)
  • Distributed Ledger Convergence with Sensing, Big Data, AI, and IoT(DL6)
  • Autonomous Systems and Economies (DL7)
  • Other Technologies and Approaches Potentially Relevant to Distributed Ledge (DL8)

Educational Technologies and Applications (EA)

Program director

Rajesh Mehta

Featured companies

Educational Technologies and Applications (EA):

  • Pre-K and Primary Education (EA1)
  • Middle School and High School Education (EA2)
  • Global, Distance, and Higher Educations (EA3)
  • Collaborative and Game-Based Education (EA4)
  • Social and Behavioral Education (EA5)
  • Entrepreneurial, Informal and Maker Education (EA6)
  • Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Information Technology Education (EA7)
  • Learning Assessments (EA8)
  • Language Applications (EA9)
  • Capacity Building, Education, and Training for the Emerging Fourth Sector Eco-system (EA10)
  • Other Education-Related Topics (EA11)

Energy and Power Systems (EW)

Program director

Muralidharan S. Nair

Featured companies

Energy and Power Systems (EW):

  • Energy Harvesting and Storage (EW8)
  • Infrastructure and Smart Grids (EW9)

Environmental Technologies (CT)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Featured companies

Environmental Technologies (CT):

  • Water Treatment (CT7)
  • Agricultural and Food Technologies (CT8)
  • Environmental Health, Green Chemistry (C9)
  • Resource Efficiency, Renewable Resources (CT10)
  • Technologies for Extreme Environments (CT11)
  • Environmental Security and Defense (CT12)
  • Data Technologies, Sensing and Analytics for the Environment (CT13)

Information Technologies (IT)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Featured companies

Information Technologies (IT):

  • Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing (IT1)
  • Image and Video (IT2)
  • Cybersecurity, Authentication, and Privacy (IT3)
  • Cybersecurity for the Internet of Things (IT4)
  • Networking Technology (IT5)
  • Mobile Computing and Internet of Things (IT6)
  • Cloud Computing and High-performance Computing (IT7)
  • Cloud-based IT Services (IT8)
  • Big Data and Advanced Analytics (IT9)
  • Human-Computer Interaction, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality (IT10)
  • Social Media and Collaborative Networking (IT11)
  • Software (IT12)

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (MI)

Program director

Muralidharan S. Nair

Featured companies

Instrumentation and Hardware Systems (MI):

  • Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Characterization and Imaging (MI7)
  • Instrumentation or Hardware Systems for Detection, Actuation, Control, and Manipulation (MI8)
  • Other Instrumentation or Hardware Systems (MI9)

Internet of Things (IoT)

Program director

Rick Schwerdtfeger

Featured companies

Internet of Things (IoT):

  • IoT Sensors and Actuators (IoT1)
  • IoT Energy and Power Systems (IoT2)
  • IoT Communications (IoT3)
  • IoT Integrated Systems (IoT4)

Medical Devices (MD)

Program director

Nancy Kamei

Featured companies

Medical Devices (MD):

  • Medical Devices (MD1)

Nanotechnology (MN)

Program director

Linda Molnar

Featured companies

Nanotechnology (MN):

  • Nanomaterials (N1)
  • Nanomanufacturing (N2)
  • Other topics in nanotechnology (N3)

Other Topics (OT)

Program director

Ben Schrag

Other Topics (OT):

  • Other Topics (OT1)

Photonics (PH)

Program director

Rick Schwerdtfeger

Featured companies

Photonics (PH):

  • Lighting and Displays (PH1)
  • Communications, Information, and Data Storage (PH2)
  • Energy (PH3)
  • Advanced Metrology and Sensors (PH4)
  • Advanced Optical Components and Systems (PH5)

Quantum Information Technologies (IT)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Quantum Information Technologies (IT):

  • Quantum Information Technologies (IT3)

Robotics (EW)

Program director

Muralidharan S. Nair

Featured companies

Robotics (EW):

  • Human-Machine Interfaces and Control/Architecture (EW2)
  • Robotic Applications (EW3)
  • Robotics in Agile Manufacturing, and Co-Robots (EW4)
  • Human Assistive Technologies and Bio-related Robotics (EW5)

Semiconductors (S)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies

Semiconductors (S):

  • Electronic Materials (S1)
  • Electronic Devices (S2)
  • Processing and Metrology Technology (S3)
  • Integrated Circuit Design (S4)
  • Micro-electronics Packaging, Thermal Management, and Systems Integration (S5)

Sensors (EW)

Program director

Rick Schwerdtfeger

Featured companies

Sensors (EW):

  • Sensors (EW1)

Wireless Technologies (EW)

Program director

Muralidharan S. Nair

Featured companies

Wireless Technologies (EW):

  • Wireless Systems (EW6)
  • Wireless Devices and Components (EW7)