Spotlight: In Celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week, EDA Recognizes Innovative 2018 RIS Grantees

February 2019 Newsletter

The 2019 Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) Program is open for proposals and EDA’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) is accepting applications until April 4, 2019. Last year, after an incredibly competitive selection process, a total of 40 projects were selected in our 2018 cohort of RIS grantees and many officially kicked off their projects around National Entrepreneurship Week. Check out a quick sneak-peek below at what a few of our 2018 grantees are launching in their communities:

The Texas Tech University Innovation Hub is kick starting their transformative AgTech Fund called Hub Fuel. Hub Fuel will fund early-stage startups that are commercializing technology in the West Texas ecosystem including elements such as biotechnology, plant and animal breeding, water and environment technologies, big data analytics, and others. They expect to fund at least 25-35 AgTech ventures in West Texas. Read more about the launch Hub Fuel’s work in a recent article from Texas Tech Today.

Texas Tech University Innovation Hub
StartupNV is establishing the Southern Nevada Angel Conference Seed Fund to attract investors and increase early stage capital for local entrepreneurs, with special emphasis on increasing investments to women and Hispanic-led startups. You can find out more about Southern Nevada’s Venture Capital in a recent article from NBC2.
In Puerto Rico, the Resiliency and Business Innovation Project is looking to nurture innovation and entrepreneurship as a path to economic recovery and resiliency after the devastation of 2017’s Hurricane Maria.
Social Enterprise Greenhouse is launching two new satellite offices in Northern and Southern Rhode Island to expand the state’s job-creating entrepreneurship ecosystem beyond the Providence metropolitan area. This will better connect and serve all of Rhode Island’s communities.

Social Enterprise Greenhouse Logo