NC IDEA MICRO Grant

Funding Cycle

Application opens July 31, 2023
Application Deadline is August 28, 2023 by 5:00 pm EST
Application portal opens July 31, 2023

Description

After MICRO grant recipients are selected, the program proceeds as follows:
- Each company works directly with NC IDEA staff to implement a six-month timeline of meaningful milestones and an impactful use of grant funds
- The grant agreement is signed and the company receives 75% of their grant funds
- Companies participate in a six-week customer discovery and product launch program
- Customer discovery is focused on clearly identifying the early customers, their pain point, reaching them, and their solution
- Product launch will include fundraising strategies, marketing, and meeting with 15+ mentors who can provide advice and/or connections
- The program will require approximately 3 hours per week of seminar participation, plus additional time to talk to potential customers
- Companies have at least four check-ins with NC IDEA staff or volunteer mentors, spread across the six weeks of programming
- Two months after a company’s grant agreement is signed, the remaining 25% of the grant will be distributed to the company
- Companies will make a final presentation to NC IDEA staff, mentors, and other companies in the cohort, about six months after the end of the customer discovery and product launch program

Also offering a six to eight-week program to accelerate the company’s progress

Who Can Apply

Preview the Micro application and review specific dates and deadlines on webpage

Additional Eligibility Requirements

Preview the MICRO application and review specific dates and deadlines in the tab below

One of the criteria that NC IDEA uses in evaluating grant applications is customer discovery. Our Customer Discovery Guide is a great resource for not only writing a better application, but giving your company a better chance at success