Advanced Industries Accelerator Program

Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant

Funds Colorado advanced-industries companies scaling new technology toward commercial growth.

Eligibility · Colorado, United States

The Advanced Industries Early-Stage Capital and Retention Grant is run by the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), the state agency that helps Colorado businesses grow. It is part of Colorado’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program, which backs the state’s high-tech sectors.

The grant gives a Colorado company up to 250,000 US dollars to turn a working technology into a real product and keep the business growing in Colorado. A separate Proof of Concept Grant in the same program gives up to 150,000 dollars to Colorado research institutions for earlier-stage work. Applicants are expected to bring matching money — about one dollar of their own for each grant dollar — but a company can apply without a confirmed match, receive a conditional award, and line up the match within six months.

It is for Colorado-based companies (and some nonprofits) working in the state’s "advanced industries": aerospace, bioscience, electronics, energy and clean tech, advanced manufacturing, infrastructure engineering, and technology and information. Universities use the Proof of Concept grant instead.

To apply, submit through the OEDIT grant portal during the open window. For 2026, applications open on 1 July 2026 and are due on 27 August 2026. A review committee scores each application and OEDIT makes the awards.

Keep in mind the company and its work must be based in Colorado and fall inside one of the named advanced industries, and that matching funds are part of the deal.