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Portfolio

Since 2012, America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF has made nearly 3,000 awards to startups and small businesses. Since 2014, NSF-funded small businesses have had 107 exits and have received nearly $9 billion in private investment.* We encourage you to explore this list of assorted companies we’ve funded.
*Data from CB Insights.

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 (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)
  • Manufacturing Technologies (M5)
  • Modeling and Simulation (M6)
  • Personalized Manufacturing / Maker Manufacturing / Maker to Manufacturer (M7)
  • Sustainable Manufacturing Technology / Circular Economy Technologies (M8)
  • Transportation 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)
  • Business Intelligence (AI2)
  • Computer Vision, Image and Video Processing (AI3)
  • Decision Management and Optimization (AI4)
  • eCommerce (AI5)
  • Education Technologies (AI6)
  • Human-Computer Interaction (AI7)
  • Industrial Systems, including Robotics (A18)
  • Language-Based Technologies (AI9)
  • Machine Learning Algorithms and Platforms (A10)
  • Medical Diagnostics (AI11)
  • Sales, Advertising, and Marketing (AI12)
  • Security, Cybersecurity, and Authentication (AI13)
  • Smart Agriculture (AI14)
  • Vehicle-Based Systems (AI15)
  • Virtual Agents and Assistants (AI16)
  • Other AI Technologies (AI17)

Biological Technologies (BT)

Program director

Erik Pierstorff

Featured companies

Biological Technologies (BT):

  • Animal Biotechnology (BT1)
  • Bioinstruments (BT2)
  • Biosensors (BT3)
  • Cell and Tissue Engineering (BT4)
  • Computational Biology and Bioinformatics (BT5)
  • Fermentation Technologies (BT6)
  • Food Processing and Safety Technology (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):

  • Diagnostic Assays (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)

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 (DH5)

Distributed Ledger (DL)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

Distributed Ledger (DL):

  • Autonomous Systems and Economies; 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; Cybersecurity (DL5)
  • Distributed Consensus; 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; Accumulators (DL12)
  • Trusted Identity; Identity Management (DL13)
  • Other Distributed Ledger Technologies (DL14)

Energy Technologies (EN)

Program director

Anna Brady-Estevez

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)
  • Emission/Waste Reduction and the Circular Economy (ET2)
  • Food, Agriculture, and Energy (ET3)
  • Habitat Conservation, Adaptation and Restoration (ET4)
  • Sustainable Community Systems (ET5)
  • Water Treatment, Resilience, and Sanitation (ET6)
  • Other Environmental Technologies (ET7)

Information Technologies (IT)

Program director

Diane Hickey

Featured companies

Information Technologies (IT):

  • Big Data and Advanced Analytics (IT1)
  • Cloud Computing and High-Performance Computing (IT2)
  • Cloud-based IT Services (IT3)
  • Cybersecurity, Authentication, and Privacy (IT4)
  • Cybersecurity for the Internet of Things (IT5)
  • Education Technologies (IT6)
  • Human-Computer Interaction, Virtual Reality, and Augmented Reality (IT7)
  • Image and Video (IT8)
  • Mobile Computing, Internet of Things, Cyber-Physical Systems (IT9)
  • Networking Technology (IT10)
  • Social Media and Collaborative Networking (IT11)
  • Software (IT12)
  • Other Information Technologies (IT13)

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

Ben Schrag

Featured companies

Internet of Things (I):

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

Medical Devices (MD)

Program director

Henry Ahn

Featured companies

Medical Devices (MD):

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

Nanotechnology (N)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies

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

Alastair Monk

Pharmaceutical Technologies (PT):

  • Artificial Intelligence for Drug Development (PT1)
  • Cell and Biologics Manufacturing (PT2)
  • Drug Delivery Methods (PT3)
  • Drug Discovery Platforms (PT4)
  • Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics (PT5)
  • Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (PT6)
  • Therapeutic Molecules (PT7)
  • Other Pharmaceutical Technologies (PT8)

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)
  • Other Photonics Technologies (PH6)

Power Management (PM)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Power Management (PM):

  • Energy Harvesting Devices and Systems (PM1)
  • Materials and Devices for Power Electronics (PM2)
  • Materials and Devices for Thermal Management (PM3)
  • Novel Power and Thermal Management Sensors (PM4)
  • Power Management Infrastructure and Smart Grid Systems (PM5)
  • Systems for Thermal Management (PM6)
  • Other Power Management Technologies (PM7)

Quantum Information Technologies (QT)

Program director

Peter Atherton

Featured companies

Quantum Information Technologies (QT):

  • Quantum Communications (QT1)
  • Quantum Computing (QT2)
  • Quantum Sensing and Metrology (QT3)
  • Quantum Simulation (QT4)
  • Other Quantum Information Technologies (QT5)

Robotics (R)

Program director

Murali S. Nair

Featured companies

Robotics (R):

  • Human Assistive Technologies and Bio-related Robotics (R1)
  • Human-Machine Interfaces and Control/Architecture (R2)
  • Robotic Applications (R3)
  • Robotics in Agile Manufacturing, and Co-Robots (R4)
  • Robotics in Education (R5)
  • Other Robotics Technologies (R6)

Semiconductors (S)

Program director

Steve Konsek

Featured companies

Semiconductors (S):

  • Electronic Devices (S1)
  • Electronic Materials (S2)
  • Integrated Circuit Design (S3)
  • Microelectronics Packaging and Systems Integration (S4)
  • Novel Semiconductor-based Sensors (S5)
  • Processing and Metrology Technology (S6)
  • Other Semiconductor Technologies (S7)

Space (SP)

Program director

Murali S. Nair

Space (SP):

  • Extra-terrestrial Resource Extraction (SP1)
  • Geological and Geoclimatic Science Data Technologies (SP2)
  • Ground Launch Sites and Satellite Operations Technologies (SP3)
  • In-space Manufacturing Technologies (SP4)
  • Navigation and Positioning Technologies (SP5)
  • On-Orbit Technologies (SP6)
  • Remote Sensing Technologies (SP7)
  • Space Transportation and Access (SP8)
  • Spacecraft Development and Manufacturing (SP9)
  • Telecommunications Technologies (SP10)
  • Other Space-related Technologies (SP11)

Wireless Technologies (W)

Program director

Murali S. Nair

Featured companies

Wireless Technologies (W):

  • Wireless Devices and Components (W1)
  • Wireless Systems (W2)
  • Other Wireless Technologies (W3)

Updated: 1/30/2020