WASHINGTON, May 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Small business owners: how would you elevate your brand if you had an extra $500,000+ in innovation funding? Defense Innovation Network (DIN) unveiled a new small business contest offering you an opportunity to compete for expert mentorship and consulting services worth $32,342 to guide your competitive application for a government grant.

Pitch Leap is a national small business competition that delivers big rewards to innovators. DIN launching the competition as part of SBA’s National Small Business Week (May 3-9) to give business leaders the chance to compete and leap over their peers by presenting their unique, compelling technology.

One lucky business owner will win expert mentorship and consulting worth $32,342 to help them secure military innovation grants, worth millions of dollars through the Department of Defense.

Access to innovation capital is critical for small business leaders looking to improve cash flow and profitability, especially navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. All small businesses with great ideas should be able to win innovation grants to accelerate their potential and advance our nation’s interests.

Winning a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant through the Department of Defense may be within reach, yet less than 10% of teams who apply ever receive funding. At Defense Innovation Network, we believe writing winning grants shouldn’t be so difficult, which is why we reduce guesswork and offer a comprehensive strategy to clarify offerings, prepare applications, and help obtain government funding.

“When we first applied for a grant, it was difficult and confusing. I had no idea how much the process could positively transform our business,” said Peter Paulin, CEO at 300 Below, Inc. and a DIN founding member. “DIN helped us win a $50,000 Air Force grant to transform our marketing.  Thanks to DIN, we made it into the second phase, where AFWERX provided ~$1.5M in R&D funding to validate our technology with third-party independent laboratories, confirming that our technology offers 200%+ longer life for firearms used by our Warfighters. Because of the guidance we received from Defense Innovation Network experts, we were awarded Innovation of the Year in 2019 for Manufacturing Technology.”

Small businesses of all types are encouraged to enter. Businesses present a written pitch to explain why their technology or innovation deserves to win direct support from the ‘SBIR Dream Team‘ experts as they help structure the process of applying for government funding. Business owners may submit their pitch free at www.pitchleap.com. The deadline to enter is May 24, and a public voting period will influence the outcome of selecting a winner. Contest rules may be found on the ‘Pitch Leap’ website.

One lucky business will win expert guidance from advisors who successfully advised multiple teams to win millions of dollars in Department of Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding, providing direct consultations to help teams through the application process.

The winner will receive valuable help with branding their solution via a StoryBrand certified guide, Eric Marvin, who helped drive $200M in revenue for companies in outdoors and firearms industry verticals. Stacy Swider, Director for UMass Lowell’s SBIR Center of Excellence, will provide one-on-one strategic guidance along with Darrin Blaine, a prior US Air Force contracting officer who studied intellectual property law at Harvard.

ABOUT Defense Innovation Network:

Defense Innovation Network (DIN) connects military leaders to high-tech innovators while helping businesses improve cash flow and profitability through innovation efforts.  DIN’s team of industry experts offers ongoing support for marketing, secure communications, and grant applications to provide small and medium-sized businesses and manufacturers with a competitive advantage.

Media Contact:

Prescott Paulin
239168@email4pr.com
307-363-5432

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SOURCE Defense Innovation Network