SPIE Startup Challenge
Pays photonics startups up to $10,000 for pitching live at SPIE Photonics West.
Every applicant to the SPIE Startup Challenge submits an extensive written application together with a video pitch through an SPIE account, choosing either the pre-seed or seed track and the Healthcare or Deep Tech focus area. Judges drawn from entrepreneurs, investors and business-development experts evaluate each entry on the strength of its business case, financial case and team trajectory, and…
Looks for early-stage optics and photonics startups at pre-seed (pre-revenue) or seed stage (under $500,000 in product-sales revenue), in two focus areas: Healthcare (point-of-care technologies and devices) or Deep Tech (scientific or engineering innovation, software apps excluded). Students, post-docs, professors and other first-time founders are explicitly encouraged to apply.
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Guides for this application
All guides →Grant Work Plan Template: Work Packages, Gantt, Milestones, and Risks
Use this grant work plan template to structure work packages, tasks, owners, deliverables, Gantt timing, dependencies, and risk registers.
Submit & reportGrant Reporting Requirements: Post-Award Reports and Compliance
Learn what grant reporting requirements cover, how financial and performance reports work, what to track after an award, and how to avoid post-award compliance mistakes.
DocumentsGrant Pitch Deck Example: Slides, Storyline, and Video Script
See a grant pitch deck example with slide outline, EIC-style pitch logic, demo-video script, and grant-vs-investor deck differences.
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