Washington State University
Location |
Spokane, WA |
|
|---|---|---|
Project Name |
FIRE & RAIN Networks |
|
Award Amount |
Federal Share |
Local Match |
$750,000 |
$233,420 |
|
The Washington State University-Health Sciences Spokane early-stage life science business incubator, sp3nw, will develop a Flexible Infrastructure for Resilient Entrepreneurship (FIRE), consisting of support programs to spur regional economic development in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.
Specifically, the project will:
- Launch Executive Advisors and Review Team Honorarium (EARTH), a modified executive-in-residence (EIR) program that matches startups with EARTH-supported executive advisors for 10 months to provide business insights and expedite go-to-market actions;
- Create Internship Consultants for Entrepreneurs (ICE), consisting of teams that provide wrap-around services in marketing, bookkeeping and business research to accelerate startup growth and create high-quality workers;
- Create a Rural Angel Investment Network (RAIN), which will establish a directory of funding opportunities, assess regional funding gaps, and train local investment groups to develop funding for early-stage businesses to bridge the funding gap prior to SBIR/STTR funding; and
- Initiate the Workforce Innovation Network Development (WIND) program, targeting pharmaceutical manufacturing education and certification in urban and rural populations, in order to create sustainable workforce opportunities and regional industry growth.
