Fort Wayne SEED Business Grant

The Build with Gemini XPRIZE is a 90-day hackathon that awards $2 million in total prize money across 25 winners to entrepreneurs, teams, and small organizations who build a real AI-powered business during the competition window. Sponsored by XPRIZE and powered by Google, with administrative support from Devpost, the competition was launched at Google I/O and challenges entrants to pick a problem worth solving, launch a real business, acquire real users, and generate real revenue within a 90-day window, all while running their business operations through AI. Submissions must fall within one of five categories: Education and Human Potential, Entrepreneurship and Job Creation, Small Business Services, Money and Financial Access, and Professional Services Access. Each project must use at least one Google Cloud product, and any project incorporating large language model functionality must use the Gemini API for at least one LLM call in the deployed application. The prize pool is structured into a 1st place award of $500,000, a 2nd place award of $200,000, three awards of $100,000 each for 3rd through 5th place, fifteen Runner-Up awards of $50,000 each, and five Category Prizes of $50,000 each (one per category). The competition is open to individuals who are at least the age of majority where they reside, teams of eligible individuals, and small organizations with fewer than 25 employees (including corporations, nonprofits, LLCs, and partnerships). Residents of countries restricted by U.S. law (including Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea) are not eligible. Submissions are judged on three equally weighted criteria: business viability (actual revenue achieved during the 90-day window and the sustainability of the business model), AI-native operations (the extent to which AI is live in production running key business decisions), and category impact (whether the project meaningfully moves the needle in its chosen category).

This funding opportunity aims to support the development of in vivo high-resolution structural and functional imaging technologies for the living human inner ear. Proposed projects should focus on improving the resolution of current imaging techniques or developing new imaging techniques that can visualize inner ear structures in vivo with significantly greater detail and accuracy than currently possible. Both structural and functional aspects, including visualizing dynamic elements are important to development of new and improved techniques. Projects may also focus on developing new imaging probes or contrast agents that can enhance visualization of the inner ear structures. Ultimately, research supported in response to this RFA is to encourage technologies that allow, for example, structures such as hair cells, otoliths, membranes, ions, and vasculature to be viewed in detail in awake patients in a clinical setting using non-invasive techniques. To achieve this goal, a multi-disciplinary team approach that takes advantage of the expertise of each team member is highly encouraged. Studies in humans and intermediate studies in animals, but not non-mammalian species, may be proposed to develop or advance the needed technology. Any intermediate studies must articulate a clear path of the proposed methodology to application in awake humans or define the limitations and the usefulness in anesthetized humans.

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) internship program provides grant awards to Iowa businesses to help them support and grow student internship opportunities in STEM fields with the goal of transitioning student interns to full-time employment in Iowa upon graduation. Eligible employers may qualify for awards up to $50,000 per fiscal year.

The Foundations in Industry Training (FIT) Grant Program is a statewide program which offers assistance to registered apprenticeship programs. The program’s goal is to increase apprenticeship availability to Pennsylvania employers to assist them with their talent recruitment and development.

Main Street Iowa offers the Open 4 Business program to encourage business development in designated Main Street districts. The Open 4 Business contest launched in 2015, is an opportunity for businesses located within the Main Street district, to compete for a chance to win grant funds to assist with a business development or expansion project that will help you grow your business. Businesses will be required to complete an online application and submit a short video (3-minute maximum time limit) outlining your business idea and how it will benefit the local economic climate in our community. A 25% cash match is required. Businesses must have been in operation for at least 1 year to apply. The grant funds are administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa program.