No-cost – Online
Starts May 20
Applications Due May 8
Calling all CT-based innovators!
Are you planning to pursue an SBIR/STTR grant this year? Don’t undertake this highly competitive process alone – join CTSBDC’s SBIR/STTR Accelerator to get closer to submitting a successful grant proposal. If you can commit to six weekly, online sessions the SBIR/STTR Accelerator can help you get a leg up on the competition. Our advisors have helped guide many clients through this process, resulting in significant grant awards.
The next cohort begins on May 20, 2026.
Meet the Instructors
- Jerry Hollister, Executive Consultant and Co-Owner, BBCetc – Jerry leads the customer development efforts at BBCetc and the NSF/DOD/DOE/USDA Team that supports clients applying to these four Agencies. He led the 2021 Catalyst Award effort that continues as the Women-CAN program funded by the SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund and leads the Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) Program for NOAA Phase I awardees. He currently serves as a reviewer for NSF, DOE, USDA and NOAA and regularly speaks about SBIR/STTR at several national conferences.
- Christine Sullivan, CTSBDC Advisor & SBIR/STTR Specialist – Christine enjoys helping entrepreneurs and small business owners achieve their next milestone. Whether it’s developing a business plan or finding the right source of capital, Christine can help advise on the best plan to achieve the company’s short- and long-term goals. Prior to joining CTSBDC, Christine worked in investment banking for nearly 20 years where she focused on technology and food and beverage companies
- Greg Lewis, CTSBDC Advisor & SBIR/STTR Specialist – Gregory Lewis is a Detroit native and graduate of Harvard University. He received his Bachelor of Arts (BA), Psychology and Social Relations, at Harvard University. Greg finds it rewarding to partner with visionaries and provide the guidance, resources, and checks and balances they need to transform their ideas into financially secure reality.
What is SBIR/STTR?
Through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, America’s Seed Fund awards non-dilutive funding to develop your technology and chart a path toward commercialization.
CTSBDC will guide you step-by-step toward a successful application:
- Session #1: Intro to SBIR, ABCs of SBIR/STTR
- Session #2: Assessing Your Business Concept and Business Model
- Session #3 Market Research and the Essentials of Commercialization
- Session #4: Defining Your Technological Innovation and Understanding Federal Agency Objectives
- Session #5: Overview of a Phase 1 Proposal
- Session #6: Final Showcase
Am I a good fit for SBIR/STTR?
SBIR/STTR funds research and development (R&D) that advances science/engineering and can become commercial products, not general business or app development projects. Agencies look for novel technical risk and a plan to test feasibility (Phase I) and develop it further (Phase II).
Appropriate for SBIR/STTR (examples of funded work):
- New science/engineering with clear R&D
- Advanced medical/assistive hardware with novel sensing
- Aerospace manufacturing breakthroughs
- AI when it requires new methods + rigorous R&D
Typically not appropriate for SBIR/STTR:
- Service or consulting models without a clear technical innovation
- General business or consumer apps that assemble existing tools with no new R&D
- Service/consulting concepts or projects centered on marketing, sales, or business development